Kataang Purge: The Drabbles
by MyOtherName
Summary: [Captive III: Your New Home] Just before exiting the room, the Princess turned her head to face his motionless body. “Welcome to your new home, Avatar.”
1. Perfect Opportunities

**Grrrr. I know some of you might be wondering: "What happened to _'Aang, Katara, and a Plan'_?" "And what about _'The Life of a Monk,'_ in all it's sad but good kataangy awesomeness?" Well, I have been writing 'Aang, Katara and a Plan' for about a month now, with a total of 17 chapters and a prologue. Over that course of time, I've had so many random ideas **_(including 'The Life of a Monk')_** backed up in my mind that it has made writing another chapter impossible until I've gotten all these ideas on paper.**

**So I present to you a series of random kataang-centric drabbles **_(whether it being romantic kataang or just friendship type kataang, mostly romantic)_**. I just need to do this so I can finally continue with my other story.**

**So, drabble number 1! What would happen if you took the 'perfect opportunity' moments of kataang in the TV show and made it so that it worked out? That's what this chapter is about. Chapters will be in chronological order of airdate. Thanks to the **_avatarspirit_** website for episode transcripts.**

**Put disclaimer here.**

**Perfect Opportunities Part 1**

The Boy in the Iceberg

Aang, Katara, and Sokka had just met on the giant iceberg Aang had been trapped in for about 100 years. He offered to give them a ride back to their tribe on Appa, his sky bison. Appa tries to take off, but then falls into the water.

"Come on, Appa. Yip-yip!" Aang said as he shook Appa's reigns.

"Wow that was truly amazing." Sokka said sarcastically.

"Appa's just tired. A little rest and he'll be soaring through the sky. You'll see." Aang made a 'soaring through the sky' motion with his hand while looking back at his new friends. His gaze fell on Katara and he began to smile.

"Why are you smiling at me like that?" She questioned with a weird look on her face.

"Oh… I was smiling?"

"Ughhhh…" Sokka grunted from behind them on Appa's saddle.

---------- **(alternate version begins)**

Katara ignores Sokka and gets up to sit next to Aang on Appa's head.

"Yeah, you were smiling." Katara settles down next to Aang and he begins to blush. He scoots away a little so that they wouldn't be so close to each other.

"I uhh, umm… sorry." He told her in a sheepish and quiet voice, rubbing the back of his neck, feeling the heat of his skin from the rush of blood to his face.

_Well, he is kind of cute… And he seems fun and kind of strong… plus he's an airbender. You won't find any more of those… Ehhh, what the heck, you know want to._

Katara took off her mitten and took Aang's hand in hers, lacing their fingers together. "You can smile at me if you want."

--------------------

The Waterbending Scroll

Aang, Katara, Sokka, Momo, and Appa were by a river, Aang and Katara practicing their waterbending with a scroll that Katara stole from a group of pirates.

"Why can't I get this stupid move!" Katara yelled angrily, upset that she failed to correctly use the 'water whip.'

Aang walks over towards the water. "You'll get it." Katara looks at him disbelievingly as he bends a stream of water out of the river. "You just gotta shift your weight through the stances…" Aang manipulates the water for a few seconds, before forming the whip and striking the air with it. "See, the key to bending is-."

"Will you PLEASE shut your air hole! Believe it or not, your infinite wisdom gets a little old sometimes. Why don't we just throw the scroll away since you're so naturally gifted!" Katara yelled as she shook her fist in-front of her. She looked at Sokka, who had a disapproving look on his face. "What?"

Sokka shakes his head 'no,' and Katara looks at Aang, who looks very scared and on the verge of tears.

"Omigosh, Aang, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. But, you know what, it won't happen again." Katara rolled up the scroll and handed it over to Aang. "Here, this is yours. I don't want to have anything to do with it anymore."

"Its okay, Katara." Aang still sounded a little sad.

---------- **(alternate version begins)**

Aang walked away, hanging his head, and left the scroll by his things. Katara let her head hang as well and she sighed.

"Aang, wait up!" She called out as she jogged to catch up with him. Once next to him, she began apologizing some more. "Aang, I'm sorry. I had no reason to blow up like that. It's just frustrating to see you get the technique right the first time and it took me my entire life just to get a few moves down."

"Katara, I already told you that it's okay."

"No, it's not okay. I want to make it up to you." She extended her arm towards him, offering to hold hands. "Come on, let's go for a walk."

Aang smiled and gladly took her hand. As they began walking away, they could hear Sokka make a "pshhhh" noise as they left. They both grinned at each other and walked along the edge of the river until Sokka couldn't see them.

They found a nice, small, grassy hill near the river and they sat there for a while. They talked until the sun stated setting, never letting go of the others' hand. As it started getting dark, Katara got an idea and blushed a little. She yawned and rested her head on Aang's shoulder, waiting for his reaction.

Taking about half a second to think about what she did, and what he should do, he draped his arm over her shoulders. Katara smiled and snuggled into him a little more.

"Good thing Sokka's not here." Katara said, almost under her breath.

Aang agreed and started pulling her a little closer to him. She looked up into his eyes, their faces slowly inched towards each other. Aang could feel Katara's warm breath on his lips. _Yes! This is it! Finally!_ They were so close… Until…

"_AAANNNGGG!!!" _Sokka's clearly distressed voice was heard perfectly by everyone in the Earth Kingdom, and possibly some in the Fire Nation.

"Crap…" The two muttered as they pulled apart and stood up, each sending glances at each other, almost as if sending silent messages reading: 'sorry' 'it's okay' 'I hate Sokka' 'Me too' 'let's come back here later' and 'I'd like that.'

--------------------

The Fortuneteller (yay!) Kataang Moment Number 1

Aang, Katara, Sokka, Appa, and Momo are sitting by a river. A large fish jumps out of the water repeatedly.

"Look!" Katara exclaimed, pointing towards the flopping fish.

The green fish jumps out of the water once more, looking like it has a smirk on its face.

"He's taunting us… You are so gonna be dinner!" Sokka ran over to his tent and grabbed a fishing pole, then ran back to the water. He cast off several time, but nothing happens. "Hey! Where's the fishing line?"

"Oh, I didn't think you would need it, Sokka." Aang said as he holds up a necklace he was working on.

Sokka takes a closer look. "Ahhh, it's all tangled!"

Aang airbended himself to a standing position. "Not tangled, woven." Aang turned to face Katara. "I made you a necklace, Katara. I thought since you lost your other one…" Aang holds up the necklace and grins sheepishly.

Katara gets up and walks towards Aang. "Thanks Aang! I love it!" Aang handed her the necklace.

"Great, Aang. Maybe instead of saving the world, you can go into the jewelry making business." Sokka told him sarcastically.

"I don't see why I can't do both."

Sokka turns away to see the fish jumping out of the water again. He throws the fishing rod at it as if it was a spear. "Stop taunting me!" He called out as he drew his knife and waded into the water, stabbing at it repeatedly but continuously missing.

Aang watches until he hears Katara's voice. "So? How do I look?" She asked once she had gotten the necklace on.

Aang turns around to see Katara, resulting in Aang doing a double take, some rapid arm movements, and his eyes and tongue almost falling out of their respective places. He blushes vigorously.

Through his eyes, he looks at Katara from her feet panning upwards. Their entire surroundings and background were suddenly painted a beautiful pink and purple, dazzling in the light as if the suns rays were being refracted through diamonds. He slowly makes his way to her upper body. Katara's hand was at her new necklace, in a show-offable position. There were slight pools of pink on her cheeks, probably due to embarrassment. He couldn't find a word to describe how great she looked, except… Damn!

Aang pulled at his collar with his index finger while staring at Katara. "You mean all of you? Or just your neck? I mean, uh, both look great!"

Sokka emerged from the river, holding the fish close to his face, as if he were about to kiss it. "Smoochy, smoochy! Someone's in loooove!" The fish wiggled free from his grip and flopped over, slapping it in the face with its tail fin.

"Well, I… Uh…" Aang rubs his head in embarrassment.

Katara approached behind him. "Stop teasing him Sokka!"

---------- **(alternate version begins)**

"Umm, I think he's right…" Aang mumbled under his breath, not meaning for anyone to hear.

"What was that?" Katara asked him, not hearing what he said.

Aang looked up with a panicked expression on his face, ready to recall whatever he said. But something inside him told him not to… Something inside him told him to take a chance.

Aang refrained from making eye contact and looked at the dirt, turning some of it over with his foot. "I said, uhhh, that I think… um… hemightberight…" Aang let that last part out all at once and with one breath. When he didn't hear a response, (except Sokka laughing) he looked up at her, wondering what she was thinking.

He slowly raised his head and looked at her. Katara couldn't move. She just stood there.

_Ummm, why is she just standing there? And what's with that smile? And that twinkle in her eye?_ The corners of Aang's lips curled up a little, leaving him smiling as well. _Uhh, could that mean… No! No… It couldn't… Could it?_

"Uhhh… Katara? Say something… Please…" Aang stepped closer to her, until they were just barely apart. "Katara…"

"For once, I'm glad Sokka's right." Katara said with a smile, taking Aang's hand in her own.

The Fortuneteller Kataang Moment Number 2

Aang and Sokka were sitting in the reception area of Aunt Wu's building. Katara was getting her prediction done in another room.

"So…what do you think they're talking about back there?" Aang asks Sokka as he pigs out on bean curd puffs.

"Boring stuff, I'm sure. Love. Who she's gonna marry. How many babies she's gonna have." Sokka replied, still eating curd puffs, sounding uninterested.

Aang was growing more tense and anxious with every word that came out of Sokka's mouth. "Yeah, dumb stuff like that…" Aang was biting his fingernails. "Well, I've gotta go find a bathroom!" Aang jumps up and begins to practically run down the hallway.

Aang begins tip-toeing, trying to be quiet as he approaches the door of the room Katara is in. He presses his ear against it, trying to hear well. From inside, he can hear her and Aunt Wu conversing.

"Your palms are so smooth – do you use moisturizer?" Aunt Wu asks Katara before the reading begins.

"Actually, I have this special seaweed lotion… I could get you some if you want." Aang slouched over and stuck out his tongue, obviously not interested in skin care products. "So, do you see anything interesting in my love line?" Aang instantly straightens up and begins to worry after hearing this.

"I feel great romance for you. The man you are going to marry…"

"Tell me more!" Katara practically yelled in excitement. Aang is growing more uncomfortable outside.

"I can see that he is a very powerful bender." At hearing this, Aang gets a sly, wide grin. He jumps around happily; after all, you don't get much more powerful than the Avatar.

---------- **(alternate version begins)**

Still in his fit of joy, Aang fails to notice that Katara and Aunt Wu have started to get up and were heading towards the door. The door slides open, with Katara in-front, with Aang on the other side, eyes closed, mouthing a 'yes!'

Katara smiled and put her hands on her hips. "And just what are _you _so happy about?"

Aang's eyes opened widely at hearing her voice. "Ahhh, uhhh, I was… uhh… in ….um bathroom… and…" He began to blush so hard; his skin pigment probably would have turned permanently red if he kept it up much longer.

Katara stepped close to Aang, Aunt Wu watching happily in the background. "I'm supposed to marry a very powerful bender… You know of any?" Katara asked, almost teasingly.

Aang decided to play it cool, maybe something good could arise from it. "Yeah, I hear that there is guy heading towards the North Pole so that he can master waterbending. He's traveling with this extraordinarily beautiful girl from the South Pole and her brother. If you want to marry him, you'd better hurry up. I think he's falling in love with this girl."

Katara smiled some more and stepped a little closer. "So, uhh, what does this guy look like?"

"He's supposed to have these cool looking blue arrows tattooed all over his body. They tend to glow when he gets angry. His head is shaven, showing the largest of the arrows. He's kinda short, but I hear people his age tend to shoot up in a small amount of time. He likes to wear red, orange and yellow air monk robes." Aang shot her a look. "Sound like anyone you know?"

Katara stepped even closer, their faces almost touching. "Yeah, I think I know who you're talking about… And I don't think I'd mind marrying him." Katara leaned in slowly, Aang doing the same. They kissed briefly, but it had all the passion of about a month and two weeks of bottled up love in it. Aang pulled back first.

"Yeah, he wouldn't mind marrying you, either."

**--------------------**

**Okay, just so that I can post this up tonight, I'll stop there and continue on in the next chapter, and I'll put up any other random kataangy goodness that may cross my mind.**

**Review Time. Now. Please. Seriously. Okay? Alright… Yay for the blue button.**


	2. Perfect Opportunities II

**No… Nooooooooo!!! First there's an abundance of Jetara in 'Lake Laogai' **_(which was being aired early on TurboNick, but has been removed)_** and now I've learned that there are rumors of Katara and Zuko getting trapped in a cave together in the season finale, 'The Guru' and whatever is the second part of that episode. This is terrible! Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, how could you betray us! Waaaaaaaaa! Kataang needs to live on… You are traitors of your own cause! You will be bound, gagged and stowed in a janitor's closet with the 'crazy foaming mouth guy' by the entire Kataang community!**

**-Sigh- That sucks. A lot. I hope it's just a rumor and nothing more. My main source of information for the episodes is wikipedia, and they haven't even added any rumors or basic plot lines to 'The Guru' page yet.**

**And it's scheduled to air on December 1st, which means we have an entire month to fume and flame over the possibility of Zutara. Damn Zutara! Damn it to hell! **(Incase you haven't noticed, rating is bumped up to 'T' because, come on, it opens up the possible vocabulary :) )

**Here's more of my daily randomness for you. The reason why Jetara is an illogical pairing: _Jet hook swords. Hook swords northern shaolin weapons. Northern shaolin firebending. Firebending fire nation. Fire nation evil. Therefore, Jet evil. Katara would never go for him._**

**And even more randomness: Yay! My mood has been lifted! The '24' season 6 teaser trailer aired! Woooo! Jack's back and he's gonna kick some terrorist butt! It's gonna be a LOOONNNGGG wait until January when the new season airs. Last season ended un-cool-y. Jack got taken by the Chinese government to work in a Labor Camp, the show's current president was a terrorist responsible for giving terrorist groups nerve gas and he allowed the ex-president to be assassinated, he got arrested and the last thing you see is Jack being tortured by Chinese soldiers on an ocean freighter. If you hate cliffhangers in fanfics, this show will drive you up the wall. Each episode ends in a cliffy, with the season finale having a big, mondo-ginormous cliffy. It's basically gunfights, followed by interrogations, followed by a terrorist attack, followed by a cliffy. And then it repeats. And it wins Emmy's every year for best drama series and action series. Cliffies**

**If I had a disclaimer, it would go… here! Wait, no… maybe here… Or here.**

**Perfect Opportunities Part 2**

The Fortuneteller Kataang Moment Number 3 _(this one's a little weird, it alternates between the show, then alternate version, then back to the show, and alternate version again…)_

Aang, Katara, and Sokka ere in the town square, waiting to hear Aunt Wu's cloud readings to predict whether or not mount Makapu would erupt.

Aunt Wu was standing on a stage, looking through her cloud readings book. She had read the meanings for two clouds so far. "And a cumulus cloud with a twisted nub coming off the end of it… the village will not be destroyed by the volcano this year!"

The crowd bursts into cheers, happy to know that they will remain safe from an eruption for another year. Katara is looking at the stage with a rather eager expression.

Aang, remembering what Aunt Wu told him, decides that it is a good time to tell Katara how he feels. He starts out nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Since I got you here, uh, there's something I want to tell you. I like you, but more than normal." Aang begins looking at the ground, but eventually gets enough courage to look at her. He has a hopeful look on his face and a small smile

Katara is still staring at the stage in awe, and runs after Aunt Wu. Aang is left depressed, his smile replaced with a frown.

"Never mind."

**---------- (alternate version begins)**

Katara was jogging after Aunt Wu, wanting to get another reading about who she's supposed to marry. Halfway there, she stopped abruptly, her eyes wide.

_Wait, did Aang say… He did say… _A smile worked its way up to her face. Her suspicions of who this 'powerful bender' was were confirmed. But just as quickly as the smile made its way on to her face, it disappeared.

_Aang DID say it… And I just walked away! I didn't even look at him! Stupid, Katara! Stupid, stupid, stupid! He must be miserable now!_

Katara turned around and started to head to where she had left Aang standing. She didn't see him anywhere. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a flash of bright red, orange and yellow. She headed towards it. She made her way to a clearing and saw Aang talking to Sokka.

_Oh, no. He went to Sokka for advice? This isn't good. Sokka's gonna end up saying something stupid._

She got closer so she could hear them talking better, but stayed out of sight, hiding by some merchant stalls.

**---------- (normal version begins)**

"So, Sokka, you know some stuff about ladies, right?" Aang stood next to Sokka with a slightly embarrassed look on his face.

"Some stuff? You've come to the right place." Sokka tried to sound all smooth, and puts his arm around Aang's shoulders. "What can I do you for?"

"Well, there's this girl…" Aang still sounded embarrassed, not knowing how to tell Sokka that he was in love with his sister.

"I think I know who you mean." Sokka was still trying to sound all smooth and all-knowing.

_(From Katara, in alternate version)_ "He does?!"

_(Aang, back to normal version)_ "You do? And you're okay with it?"

"Of course I am. And, to tell you the truth, I've been picking up the subtle vibe that she likes you too." Sokka, still trying to sound like he knows everything, believes that Aang is talking about Meng.

"She does!?" Aang is shocked, hopeful, happy, etcetera, etcetera.

"Oh yeh, she's crazy about ya."

**---------- (alternate version begins)**

"Wow… I had no clue. I thought she liked Haru or Jet."

Katara, still hiding by the stalls, winced at hearing his last remark. It was true that she had fallen entirely for Jet, until he was exposed for a ruthless maniac. And Haru was sweet enough, but there was just a different air about Aang that she didn't sense around the other guys.

"Yeah, all you have to do now is not me-." _Wait a second… _"Meng met Haru and Jet?!"

"Meng? We were talking about Katara!"

Sokka's face changed its expression from angry to empty stare to sickened within a fraction of a second. "Then… that means… I was just… giving you advice… on how to pick up my sister… … … Ewww!"

Aang couldn't hold back a laugh as Sokka started to practically gag in awkwardness in-front of him. Katara tried to muffle back a laugh, scared that she might be heard. But a small giggle escaped her mouth.

Aang didn't notice, but Sokka's lived with her for 14 years and he'd heard that laugh before. He didn't make any sudden moves to locate her, but carefully glanced around as he continued to pretend to gag.

With his composure now regained, Sokka turned to face Aang. "Aang, I can't believe I'm doing this, but you're a nice enough guy. I may have thought that you were talking about Meng, but Katara's crazy about ya, too."

Aang's face turned to stone (as did Katara's, but it was soon replaced by a grin). "Sh-she is-s?" Aang's voice sounded choppy, for reasons he could not explain. He took it fine the first time…

"Yeah, she is." Sokka stepped closer to Aang and began talking quietly so Katara wouldn't hear. "Behind me. About seven feet. Third stall to your right. Next to the alley. If you're waiting for the opportune moment,** (A/N sound familiar?)** this is it."

Aang slowly directed his vision to the stall without moving his head and saw Katara looking through a selection of hand crafted bracelets. He turned his attention back to Sokka but saw Katara look at them out of the corner of his eye.

"How long has she been there?" Aang asked him, keeping his voice down.

"Long enough. Go get 'er, champ."

Aang nodded. Sokka turned to walk off, but turned back around to face Aang.

"Aang?"

"Yeah?"

"Never come to me about anything like this ever again." Sokka's face looked grim.

Aang smiled. "Sure thing."

Sokka walked away, and Aang turned around to look at Katara. He began thinking of how to approach her. _If I just walk up, she'll leave before I get there… If she see's me going around, she'll walk away…_

Aang looked back at her. She was still pretending to be fingering her way through a multitude of brightly colored bracelets.

_What if I go up and over? Then she CAN'T see me…_ Taking a moment to find where it would be best to airbend his way over to her, he took a few paces towards one of the buildings next to the alley. He turned the corner and pushed a large gust of wind under him, propelling him upwards, letting him jump onto the roof. He walked on the roof over to the alley. Stepping over the edge of the roof, he dropped himself just behind Katara, and using his airbending, he slowed his descent so he could land as quietly as possible. He stood behind her.

Katara looked up from the mess of bracelets laid out in-front of her to the spot where Aang and Sokka had been talking. She saw that they had left and began to scratch her head.

"Where'd they go?"

Aang smiled and stepped a little closer. He got as close as possible without touching her. "Right here."

"Ahh!" She turned around abruptly only to come face to face with him. Startled, she bended a glob of water out of her gourd and splashed it in his face, only to realize a split second before it made contact that it was Aang.

Standing there with his eyes closed and water dripping off of his face, he could here Katara trying to hold back laughter. He opened his eyes slowly.

"Not sure I deserved that." **(A/N now, does THIS one sound familiar?) **He took it in good humor, though, smiling the whole time.

"Actually, I think you did. You shouldn't sneak up on people like that." Katara was still stifling a few laughs.

"Hmm, and I suppose you can sneak up on anyone you want? Like me and Sokka for example?"

Katara suddenly stopped laughing and her expression hardened. "I- I wasn't… I didn't mean to-.'

Aang stopped her in mid-stutter. "Just, tell me this. Do I need to repeat anything or did you hear me?"

Katara spoke in a very quiet voice. "I heard you… But I wouldn't mind hearing it again."

Aang took both of her hands in his and looked into her ocean blue eyes. "Katara, I really like you, more than normal." Aang drew a sharp breath and hesitated for a second. "Actually… I think I love you."

Katara stood there and didn't say a word. She didn't even move. But she didn't need to. Right now Aang could easily read any emotion that passed through her body just by looking into her eyes. They glinted with what appeared to be… happiness… and exhilaration, and joy, and… fear?

"Katara, what's wrong?" At the moment, Aang forgot everything that he had said or heard in the last few minutes, all his thoughts now centralized on Katara and how he could help.

"I- I always heard people say that if a relationship doesn't work out, then afterwards, the friendship is ruined. I don't want that to happen to us. You're my best friend and I don't want to lose that."

Aang smiled his warm, reassuring smile. He raised his hand to brush a couple of loose strands of hair off of Katara's face, then leaving it there, lightly touching her cheek.

"That wouldn't happen to us. Just because we will be in a relationship doesn't mean that our friendship has to take back seat. In-fact, the friendship should come first. That way if the relationship fails, the friendship remains. If it doesn't fail, then not only do we have someone to love but we have someone to talk to and to goof around with and everything we normally do."

Katara reached up and took Aang's hand off of her face to hold it. She smiled back at him and threw her arms around his neck in a hug.

Taking a moment before reacting, Aang let his emotions course through his body. He had told Katara, Katara had told him, they both liked it, and they both accepted it. Aang wrapped his arms around Katara's waist.

"Besides," Aang said from Katara's shoulder, his nose in her hair. "I don't think the relationship will fail."

"Why is that?" Katara asked him, her eyes closed, absorbing all of the emotions, warmth, and intimacy pouring out of her new boyfriend, and letting her own pour into him.

"Because," Aang said rather slyly. "You're supposed to marry a powerful bender, right?"

--------------------

The Cave of Two Lovers Kataang Moment Number1 (this one's not so much of a opportunity, just really bad timing and an annoying hippy)

The usual group was making their way to Omashu, to find King Bumi and begin Aang's earthbending training. After a failed attempt to fly there, they take up the hippy's offer to go through the Cave. As they approach the entrance, Sokka was still against the idea of entering a cursed cave. Chong and Lily were reciting the curse to all of them.

"The curse says that only those who trust in love can make it through the caves. Otherwise you'll be trapped in them forever." Chong explained to the kid's just in-front of the cave's mouth.

"And die." Lily added at the end of Chong's explanation.

"Oh, yeah, and die. Hey, I just remembered the rest of that song!" Chong turned to face the cave. He strummed his guitar dramatically. "And die!" Chong sang in a low-pitched voice.

Sokka was growing more and more aggravated. "That's it! There's no way we're going through some cursed hole!"

Moku and two other nomads turned and looked at the sky. Moku pointed upwards. "Hey, someone's making a big campfire!" Moku told the group cheerfully.

Katara, Sokka and Aang look worried. "That's no campfire, Moku." Katara says very seriously.

"That's Fire Nation. They're tracking us." Sokka added.

Aang walks up to Chong, who is facing the rising column of smoke. Aang looks at him with an uncertain expression on his face. "So all you need to do is trust in love to get through these caves?"

"That is correct, Master Arrowhead."

Aang glances over to Katara, who is still looking at the smoke. Her hair and robes sway lightly as a gentle breeze passed by. Aang's eyes twinkle, filled with love and adoration for the young waterbending master.

**---------- (alternate version begins)**

Chong catches Aang's glance and smiles. The two reminded him so much of himself and Lily when they were young.

"We'll make it through easily." Chong said with a grin on his face that apparently never left.

"What makes you so sure?" Katara asked turning to face him.

"The way little Arrowhead over here keeps looking at you. It's pretty obvious _HE_ trusts in love."

Aang's face froze with a blank expression, but with widely opened eyes. There was only a slight sign of fear, and a burning desire to shove Chong's foot in his mouth. Aang found himself unable to take his gaze away from Katara.

Chong stood next to Aang, blissfully unaware of what he just did. Everyone else, including Sokka (excluding Katara), were waiting anxiously to hear a response.

Katara found herself in a similar situation as Aang, unable to move or tear away her vision from the young airbender. Slowly, the corners of her mouth curled upwards, a small smile made its way onto her face. In return, Aang smiled, too.

"Yeah" Katara was the first to speak. "We'll get through the cave fine."

The Cave of Two Lovers Kataang Moment Number 2

"Love is brightest in the dark." Katara read an inscription off a plaque next to 2 large statues depicting Oma and Shu kissing.

Aang joins Katara next to the statues, Appa behind them. "How are we gonna find our way out of these tunnels?"

"I have a crazy idea." Katara said as she looked hopefully at Aang.

"What?"

"Never mind, it's too crazy" Katara looked away from Aang and takes a few steps in the opposite direction. She looks embarrassed.

"Katara, what is it?"

"I was thinking…" Katara began, still looking away from Aang. "The curse says we'll be trapped in here forever unless we trust in love."

"Right…"

"And here it says 'love is brightest in the dark' and…" She turned to face him, but looked at the ground rather than him. "Has a picture of them kissing."

Aang was totally clueless. "Where are you going with this?"

Katara kept her gaze averted from Aang. "Well… what if we kissed?" She asked shyly.

She slowly looked up to look at Aang. She has a dreamy and hopeful expression on her face. She blushes so hard it can be seen easily, even in the darkness of the cave. Aang remains silent for a moment, his brain taking some time to verify that he had heard her correctly. He finally spoke up.

"Us kissing?"

"See? It was a crazy idea." She said and turned away from Aang, embarrassed.

Aang got a dreamy look on his face and slouched over slightly. "Us… Kissing…"

Katara tried to laugh it off, trying to make it seem like she didn't care. "Us kissing. What was I thinking? Can you imagine that?"

Aang was about to agree to her idea, but noticed her last remark just before he did. He seemed disappointed. He pretended to laugh it off as well. "Yeah, heh, heh." Aang points at Katara for emphasis. "I definitely wouldn't wanna kiss you!"

Aang seemed content with his response, only to realize what he had actually said and his eyes bug out, nearly doubling in size.

Katara was now very offended and ready to strangle the very life out of the world's last hope to end the war. "Oh, well I didn't realize it was such a horrible option!" Katara leaned over him with an angry expression on her face. "Sorry I suggested it!"

Aang's eyes were still bugging out, not believing what he had said. He tried desperately to recover, hoping to salvage at least some of his friendship with Katara. "No, no, I mean… if there was a choice between kissing you and dying…"

Katara is now infuriated and was literally willing to kill her best friend. "Ughh!" She muttered as she turned around to walk away from Aang.

"What? I'm saying I'd rather kiss you than die." He desperately wished he had some help here. "That's a compliment!"

Katara turned quickly to face Aang, a scowl on her face and she was red from yelling. "Well I'm not sure which I would rather do!" She turned and walked away, leaving Aang alone, depressed.

"What's wrong with me?" He mumbled, looking up at the top of the cave, almost as if directing the comment at the great spirits.

**---------- (alternate version begins)**

"You're an inconsiderate jerk who doesn't think before he speaks, that's what!" Katara yelled back at him, hearing what he had said.

"Ughhhh…" _Great, it's not over yet…_ He ran to catch up with her. "Katara, I'm sorry, I didn't- I mean I wanted- I didn't mean to-."

"Save it, Aang." Katara snapped, still upset at him. "Next you'll probably end up saying I smell like Appa!"

About to say that Appa doesn't smell so bad, he stopped himself before making the situation worse. "Katara, I didn't mean anything I said over there!"

"Really?" Katara yelped, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Then why'd you say it?"

"Because I- I get ne... s ar… y…u…" Aang stumbled over his words, some parts non-understandable.

"What did you say, Aang?" Katara's voice still filled with anger and sarcasm. "Am I too ugly to have you talking to me in coherent sentences?"

"I said it's because I get nervous around you!" Aang yelled in spite of his usual mild-mannered attitude.

That one caught Katara off guard, but she was still angry with him. "What, does talking with a hideous, unkissable creature make you nervous?"

"Goddamit, Katara! Why do you think I get nervous around you? You're the first girl I've spent more than 24 hours with! And it doesn't help that you're so… you." Aang's eyes bugged out again. _That could've come out better…_

"What do you mean 'so me'?" She yelled.

"I mean you! All of you! You're always so nice and kind and sweet and caring and gentle and beautiful and… I've never been around anyone so… like you!"

Katara's angry expression was now replaced with one of surprise. "B-beautiful?"

"Yes! When you suggested that we kiss, I wanted to go along with it! But then you started laughing about it and saying it was a crazy idea before I even said anything so I thought you were joking! What was I supposed to say? 'Oh, even though you don't want to kiss me, I'd still like to go ahead and give it a shot'? I panicked, okay!"

Katara stood there, not angry anymore, but still adjusting to everything that he had just said. A few moments went by in silence, and it was killing Aang. At least when she yelled they were still communicating; now she just wouldn't say anything at all. Unable to take it anymore, he spoke first.

"Katara? It might not have been what you wanted to hear, but it was true. Just, yell at me or something. Please. I can't take it when you ignore me like this."

Katara looked up into his eyes. "I've got a crazy idea."

Aang cocked his head to the side, confused at her statement. "What?"

"Well…" Katara's face was just as red as it had been a few minutes before. "What if we… kissed?"

Aang's blushed as well, his face getting warmer from the sudden rush of blood. He smiled. "It's not so crazy."

Katara smiled as well, her cheeks still a little pink. "I figured as much."

They stepped closer to each other, blushing more and more with each step they took. Aang smiled that heart melting smile that he would usually give her. She wondered how she could ever stand on the receiving end of those smiles and never work up the courage to confess her love to Aang.

Slowly they leaned into each other, their faces drawing closer to each other, like magnets. They were made to be together, meant for one to attract the other.

Their lips met. There was no embracing (as Aang was still holding the lit torch), no tongue action, just… their lips met. And even then, it was the most amazing thing either one of them had ever experienced. Katara felt like she was freefalling at breakneck speeds, feeling the air against her body as she plummeted faster and faster. It was entirely breathtaking.

Aang felt like he was trapped in the powerful currents of a large river. They pushed him down the river at velocities he imagined were only possible when flying on Appa. He went through rapids, was tugged on by undercurrents. He felt the water splash against his body. It was the most exhilarating thing he had ever been through.

What seemed like an eternity long kiss to both of them had actually been nothing more than a brief peck. They looked at each other, both looking like grinning like idiots. She felt guilty about it, but she needed to pull her sight away from Aang. She looked around the cave.

"Huh? I thought we were supposed to be able to find our way out after we kissed?" Katara glanced around the cave, looking to see if anything had changed.

Aang did the same. "Nothing looks any different..." He looked back at her and grinned. She smiled back. "Maybe we should try again?"

Katara's smile widened and she nodded. She took his free hand in her own. They stepped closer to each other than they had done before. Katara looked at him for a quick second, Aang returned the gaze. He threw the lit torch on the ground, the flame extinguishing itself once it hit the floor. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Still gazing at each other, they both smiled. Katara dipped her head towards his. He followed in suit. They kissed for much longer this time, in full embrace, eventually leading to the two lying in the others' arms on the cave floor as they continued to make out.

They literally remained like that for almost an hour, neither of them noticing the bright blue crystals on the ceiling of the cave, leading to the exit.

**Okay, that should be enough to keep you entertained for now. I've been trying to update 'Aang, Katara, and a Plan' but to no avail. Still got too many ideas swimming around in my head. **

**If anyone is upset about the rating going up to 'T,' oh well. Sucks to be you. The 'T' rating lets it be more realistic in my eyes. I mean, they're both teenagers, (well, Aang is close enough to one) so I might as well make it "teenager-esque."**


	3. The Martial Arts

**Good grief, this one's lllooonnnggg… 22 freaking pages on Microsoft Word. Compared to my average of 7.**

**This is an idea I had in my head since chapter 10 of "Aang, Katara, and a Plan." It didn't seem to fit in anywhere, so it is now a drabble. I'll continue with 'perfect opportunities' next chapter. **

**This one's informative and kataangy at the same time… Two for the price of one!**

**This story makes several real-world **_(mostly Asian)_** references, due to dialogue about fighting styles and weapons. Words that were not defined in the story will be defined at the end, in the footer.**

**This will be a little confusing, but I'll try and divide it like this: all Chinese styles and weapons will belong to the Earth Kingdom. All belonging to Japan will be for the Fire Nation. Everything else: Philippines, Korean, India, etc, etc will belong to the Air Nomads. Water Tribe borrows a little from all places.**

**Story is set about 2 years after the war ended. Aang just recently turned 15, Katara is 16. Sokka is 18 **_(he doesn't really show up)_**. Toph's not there. I guess she went home. Katara and Sokka decided to stick with Aang and travel with him on his many missions and quests as the Avatar. In this story, they have taken a break from traveling for a day and are camping out in some forest.**

**I don't own Avatar.**

**The Martial Arts**

It was about 4:45 in the morning. The perfect time to be awake. Aang often awoke at what some would consider an insanely early time. It was a reflex now. Back in the monastery, the all monks were up by 4:30. And that was if you were very tired. The early morning was… calm… and peaceful. It was still dark; no one else was ever awake, not even any wildlife, except for a few birds twittering every now and again.

Aang's day started as it would have in the monastery. Brief meditation and prayer, followed by exercise, and then hand-to-hand combat training. This was all to be done before sunrise. This time was meant for physical training, not bending.

Aang was in the exercise portion of cycle, finishing up his third round of fifty push-ups. He reflected on what this was like so long ago. It seemed to him like just a couple of years ago, when in reality it was over a century. Right now, he would be in the vast, stone-floored courtyard of the Air Temple, surrounded by hundreds of his peers, all following the instruction and example of the elder monks.

_33… 34… 35… _Aang sometimes found himself wondering why the monks were required train in the ways of the non-benders. Didn't his bending ability give him an advantage that non-benders didn't? The monks would usually give a generic answer, like _it is important to draw strength from all places and people, no mater where, who, or what they are. _During one of his last days at the temple, Gyatso explained it a little better. He said that, while it was true that bending was more powerful than punching and kicking, bending ability didn't give anyone an advantage. It simply gave them different abilities. Before there were any benders, the world was populated entirely by non-benders. They developed hundreds, if not thousands of variations of fighting styles, each one with just as much potential as any of the bending arts. The potential of that style was in the person wielding it, not the style itself. Therefore, if the monks learned how to fight hand-to-hand just as well as they could fight with air, they could draw on that knowledge to make their bending even more powerful.

_47… 48… 49… _Aang didn't understand why he continued doing these things. They just came. And he didn't understand why he enjoyed it as much as he did. He just did. This had actually been one of the most grueling parts of his training in the temple. He had to spend hours on end doing it when he was younger. _… 50. _Aang picked himself up off the ground and walked over to a nearby tree. He made his way over to the lowest branch and grabbed it. He pulled himself up until his chin was over the branch. _1… _He came back down, then back up. _2… 3… 4…_

--------------------

Katara lied awake in the tent, unable to fall back asleep. She had a dream about her mother, the day that she died. Katara was still a young girl in the dream. She was not there in person when her mother was killed, she could only imagine what it looked like. And most of the time she didn't want to. But these dreams forced it upon her.

In her dream, she could see the ruthless Fire Nation soldiers destroy her village. She could see her mother try to run to safety. Katara tried to run towards her, to help her, but… she was so scared of the Fire Nation soldiers… she couldn't make it without dying herself. In her dream, she could see the clear expression on her mothers face as she fell to the ground in pain, a large amount of her back scorched and charred.

The vivid images came back to mind and Katara shivered. She _hated _these dreams. They didn't come very often, but when they did they struck with full force. Katara slowly got up and headed outside of the tent to get a drink of water from a nearby river. After about 3 minutes of walking, she got to the water. She drank her fill then splashed a little on her face. She guessed it to be about 5:00 in the morning and figured that there was no use in trying to go back to sleep, no matter what time it was.

Just as she turned away from the river, she heard some footsteps in the grass over to her right. As a preemptive measure, Katara bended some water out of the river. She took a few steps towards a tree line blocking her view. She froze the water and made a small, jagged icicle. She poked her head around a tree and let the spear drop when she saw that it was only Aang.

He was in the middle of a small meadow. His eyes were closed and he was running through a series of katas that Katara couldn't put a finger on. She tried to identify it as airbending, but it wasn't as fast or energetic as that. Waterbending didn't fit either; it wasn't as slow and fluid. Fire couldn't apply; it wasn't as strong and forceful. And what he was doing was too well-connected and streamlined to be earth.

Katara watched in rapt fascination as Aang preformed this dance of jumps and kicks, punches and jabs, tumbles and strafes, and several powerful swings of the arm at full extension… Well, that _could _have been what had interested her… Or it could have been the fact that Aang was shirtless… Katara felt the heat slowly rising to her face, but she forced it down. She'd never admit it, but she had a thing for him since the very beginning, and, well, it didn't help that he was getting older and developing more and more. She couldn't help but notice how well he was shaping up every time she got a chance to see him like that. Months of training in preparation to face down the Fire Lord were well spent. His lean figure took well to his growing muscles. Even now that he had mastered all the elements he still insisted on a rigorous practice schedule. Katara didn't complain, though. She liked practicing, too. And then there's the added plus that it's practicing with Aang…

She pretty much knew that Aang felt the same way. Every time there was any body contact between the two of them, Aang would blush and try to find some way to hide it. She also thought that Aang had a pretty good idea of how _she_ felt. _She_ would usually act the same way. They also occasionally would say_ certain_ things to each other that _some _people might consider only belonged in a brothel or a bedroom. Anyways, they would often leave Sokka's jaw on the floor and innocent bystanders would find themselves covering the ears of little children.

While it was pretty much verified that they both liked each other, and to a pretty extreme extent, Katara was to afraid to ever say it aloud. Even if it's a sure fire thing, there was always that fear in the back of her mind… And that as the only thing keeping her from saying anything to him.

Aang finished his routine with a strong punch and a loud exhale. He opened his storm grey eyes and smiled, seeing Katara watch him with so much… intensity.

Katara saw him open his eyes and stepped out into the meadow.

"I've never seen you do anything like that." Katara managed to say to him while he still had his shirt off. Lately, waterbending practice with Aang had been nothing more than an attempt to waterbend while keeping her composure.

"You've never been up before sunrise before." Aang said with a smile as he pulled his shirt on.

Katara silently sighed in relief to herself once Aang's shirt was on. "You do this _every _morning? What's wrong with sleeping?"

Aang laughed softly. "Nothing, I guess. It's an old habit."

"So you picked this up at the temple… That's strange. It didn't look anything at all like the movements of airbending."

"That's because it's not of the bending arts. It's of the martial arts, a style called Cuong Nhu. It was developed by the non-bending Air Nomads before bending existed."

"You learned the martial arts in the Air Temple? I thought that-."

"That all we did was airbend and meditate? Yeah, most people think the same. I don't blame them. The monks were very secretive and never let any non-monks enter the monastery." Aang suddenly got a perplexed look on his face. "What are you doing up already, anyways?"

Katara had totally forgotten the reason she came out here in the first place. "I had a nightmare… If you don't mind, keep talking. It was taking my mind off of it."

Aang looked at her with a face that expressed concern. She smiled reassuringly, telling him nothing was wrong. He nodded.

"Well… We did a lot more than only bend and meditate at the temple. Those were just big parts of it. We practiced the martial arts, practiced calligraphy, and learned diplomacy, learned history, and all that kind of stuff. Most of the day was dreadfully boring. It was a lot like an academy or a school. I assume you had something like that in the Southern Water Tribe?"

Katara nodded. "Yeah, we would go to learn how to read and write and name the colors and do math and all that boring junk. We'd go for a few years, usually until the age of 12 or 13."

Aang nodded in understanding. "Yeah, it was pretty much that, with a lot more emphasis on the things some people would consider useless. Like calligraphy. Why couldn't we just write normally? It didn't have to be an art or a philosophical study… Anyways, all the monks had to learn at least one form of hand-to-hand combat before they could begin with airbending."

"Why? That seems like such a waste of time."

"The monks weren't exactly on a tight schedule." Aang replied with a laugh. "The elders said that the martial arts taught discipline and focus, along with several basic body movements that taught how to control your body's chi. And it helped a lot. When bending practice started, a lot of the initiate routines and stances came easily and naturally."

"Wow, I wish I could have done the same with water…" Katara said with a rather downcast tone, remembering that it took 14 years of her life to learn a few moves before they found a master. "So you learned… What was it? Cuong Nhu?"

Aang nodded. "Not only learned it, but mastered it." Aang smiled. "In the shortest time it has taken any air monk. Three years." He added proudly.

"Why so fast?"

Aang shrugged. "Another one of those Avatar things, I guess. I mean, I managed to master Water, Earth and Fire in 6 months. Three years doesn't seem so short anymore. Either way, I went on to learn 5 more styles, and I mastered 3 of them, making for 4 total."

Katara's eyes bugged out. "You learned 6 forms?! And mastered 4 of them?! What the hell did you do with your free time?"

Aang laughed. "Pretty much what you saw me doing earlier. I never got to leave the temple until I was 12. I learned them all by 9. And the other 3 that I mastered were by 11."

Katara's jaw dropped. "There is something decidedly freaky about you…" _But you like that about him… _Katara rolled her eyes at her mind's comment. _It's true and you know it._

Aang smirked. "You wanna learn some? We've got a day to blow off."

Katara bit her lip nervously. "I've never really learned anything like that. Waterbending looks so different… I don't know what I'd be able to learn in a day…" _Yeah, plus you don't wanna make a fool out of yourself in-front of Aang. _

"You'd be surprised. You have unlimited potential. After all, you mastered waterbending in a few weeks. You catch on to things easily. You'll do great in this. Trust me."

Katara smiled and blushed at all the compliments raining down on her. When Aang was like this, it was impossible to say 'no' to him.

"Alright. Why not? It never hurts to learn something new."

Aang grinned. "Great. This will be fun, you'll see. And it'll be a challenge. You never give up on those."

"What do you mean 'challenge'?"

Aang's grin was lost. "I don't know if this will be easy for you or hard. It could come easy because you are already a master bender. You can control chi with ease. It could be difficult because you are a waterbender. Your movements are slow and graceful and beautiful." Aang blushed at hearing that last part come out of his mouth. Instead of mumbling something like an apology, he decided to continue on quickly, hoping that she didn't hear.

"The movements of any martial art are more boxy and jagged. They will go against your nature. It is the only reason that the Water Tribes never created their own non-bending fighting style. All the weapons and techniques of the Water Tribes are borrowed from the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, who developed the most common forms."

Katara stopped listening to everything Aang had said when the word 'beautiful' escaped his mouth. All her attention was now focused on keeping her blood from rushing to her face. She soon realized that he had been waiting for a response. She quickly shook her head, as if to clear all the thoughts that 'beautiful' had put in her mind.

"It doesn't matter. Besides, it's a good thing to be well-rounded, right? It will be nice to learn something new for a change."

Aang smiled and nodded. He motioned to her to follow him. Aang led them out into the middle of the meadow.

"Sit." Aang instructed with a smile.

Katara took a seat on the ground, and Aang plopped himself down in-front of her.

"Okay, before you can learn the art, you must understand it. Here I will cover the need-to-know parts. Strength comes from knowledge of your art, and that of your opponents."

Katara nodded in understanding. "Okay."

"The Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation… they developed the most critical, commonly used, and recognized of any of the martial arts. The Earth Kingdom created a style called Kung-Fu, sometimes called gungfu or wushu. The Fire Nation created Karate and the several, more fine practices of the jutsu's, which are specialized techniques that are not normally taught in standard Karate. In each of these styles, there are several sub-forms. The movements and techniques can change drastically from one sub-form to another.

"Instead of naming every form and what they do, I'll explain it like this. Kung-fu is much like the Earth Kingdom. It is powerful, it is strong and it is steady. The main concept of Kung-fu is to use strong blocks to defend, and powerful strikes to attack, all while constantly moving, evading attack. Kung-fu draws from inner-strength, the chi. It was created by a group of individuals, monks, who, by their religion, believed it important to reach oneness with all. They believed that by mastering chi, the energy of the universe, that they could find this path to oneness easier.

"Karate also draws upon chi for strength and it was created by monks who believed the same; however, it differs dramatically from that of Kung-fu. Karate is the more graceful of the 2 styles, with the exception of a few forms. The main idea of Karate is that there will be nothing to evade if the attacker has already been dropped. Karate is swift and precise, a deadly combination. It is much like the Fire Nation itself. Whereas Kung-fu uses a variety of aerial attacks, fighters of the Karate style prefer to keep their feet on the ground whenever possible."

A confused expression was on Katara's face. "I didn't know that there were other monks in the world. I thought that there were only those of the Air Nomads."

"Yes, there are several monks with different practices throughout the Nations. The Air Monks are actually a direct variation of a group of non-bending monks of the Air Nomads that existed before, when there weren't any benders in the world. Their fighting style closely resembles that of airbending. In-fact, the 2 groups of monks were pretty much identical, with the exception that one group could bend and the other couldn't."

Katara looked at him inquisitively then chuckled softly.

"What's so funny?"

"You. You've never been this serious before. You haven't made a joke the whole time we were out here."

"Yeh, well… Funny Aang wakes up at 9:00."

Katara looked at him with a blank stare for a moment. "Was that a joke?"

"Did you laugh?"

"No."

"Then I guess it wasn't. Look, were getting off topic. You now know some background information on the 2 main styles. Now we're going in-depth. Weapons and sub-forms."

Aang got up off of the ground and helped Katara up. They both blushed when their hands met.

"We're heading back to the campsite. There's a few things there that I want to show you if you want to understand everything I'm about to tell you." Aang began to walk, still holding Katara's hand, and still blushing. He normally would have let go, but she wasn't trying to get her hand away, so he figured _to hell with it, I'm already gonna be with her all day and I still don't have the courage to tell her that I love her. Maybe this way I won't have to and she'll catch on to it. Yeah, I know that she blushes around me, and I know that she sees me blush around her. The only problem is I don't know if Katara feels as intense about this as I do. I mean, there's a crush and there is love. I'm in love and I know it. I don't want to tell Katara I love her and then scare her off. Love can be a scary subject sometimes…_

Katara followed him and also noticed that their hands were still connected. She trailed behind him, not knowing why he hasn't let go yet. She wasn't about to complain, though. This was an opportunity to spend the whole day with Aang… Something she hasn't done since the end of the war, when everyone was celebrating. A smile tugged at her lips.

The two made their way back to the campsite. Aang walked over to where Appa was sleeping. He began to remove the saddle.

"Aang, what are you-."

"Shhh!" Aang commanded her to quiet down. He pulled a rather large bag out of under Appa's saddle. "I don't want Sokka to know I have these." He whispered "He goes crazy over pointy things."

Katara nodded and Aang climbed off of Appa. He slung the bag over his shoulder and took Katara's hand again. They both blushed. This time, Katara walked beside him, and they blushed even more whenever they found themselves glancing at each other. Eventually, Aang led them to the river by the meadow.

"Okay. In this bag I have several weapons of the martial arts. You'll see how each weapon reflects the style it was created for. And you'll also see how one style can affect another."

Aang pulled several wooden staffs out of his bag. They were all of different lengths.

"These are the most commonly used weapons of Cuong Nhu. The entire practice is based on the use of wooden weapons, like staffs. My airbending glider is an altered version of a typical Cuong Nhu weapon." He held up one of the smaller weapons. It was basically a 2 foot long stick made of bamboo. "This is a Tambo. It is small, fast, accurate and dangerous. Especially when using 2 at once. It is a weapon used in many forms and styles. The idea of this weapon is just basically bash your opponent into submission, aiming for sensitive spots, like the head. What you saw me doing earlier was a routine in which this weapon is used."

Continuing with the lecture, Aang pulled another long staff out the bag. These were blue in color, and had a large blade on one end.

"This I picked up at the North Pole. It s called the Yanyue Dao. It was made by the Earth Kingdom, but was soon being used in the Water Tribes. This is because the principle of this weapon is the same as that of waterbending. Now, just as a recap, waterbending is both positive jing and negative jing. This means that waterbenders redirect the attack, using the opponents own attack against them. This weapon follows that basic principle." Next Aang pulled out something that looked very similar to Sokka's machete-club.

"This is what Sokka's knife is based on. It is called a Bolo, sometimes called an Itak. The bolo knife was actually created by the Air Nomads, used in a fighting style called Eskrima. This also eventually made its way to the Poles. It's small and fast, but not particularly a good weapon. It was originally made for agricultural purposes."

Next, Aang pulled out something very familiar to Katara.

"You may recognize this as a Kyoshi Warrior fan. The term for it is the Tieshan, more commonly called the Tessen. The fan itself looks like a normal paper fan when folded. When opened, the fan, which is made of iron, can be used as both an offensive and a defensive weapon. The edges can be sharpened so it can be used as a slashing weapon. It can also block sword strikes and arrows, if you are quick enough. The tieshan was developed by the Earth Kingdom for a form of kung-fu called Huangshi. It eventually migrated over to the Fire Nation, getting the name Tessen and its own sub-form called Tessenjutsu."

He folded the fan back into its closed position and put it in the bag. "I don't really know my way around the tieshan. Suki just let me borrow it …"

Aang next pulled out a long rope that had a large iron dagger on one end. Attached to the base of the dagger was a large piece of red cloth.

"This is one of the several 'soft weapons' of kung-fu. It's called the Rope Dart. This weapon belongs almost exclusively to the form of Changquan. They are called 'soft' because they do not restrict movement. They are flexible and, in the correctly trained hands, very dangerous. I have not yet mastered its use, it's a tricky weapon. Its flexibility gives it a water-like characteristic that you might find familiar. In a way, it works a lot like throwing ice spears, except you have to recall the spear after the attack. The cloth is there to stabilize its movement through the air, and to make sure you know where the dart is. It can also be used to tie up opponents by swinging it around them, wrapping them up in the rope. Weapons like these are very versatile. If you ever get deep into the martial arts, this is a weapon I would consider you using once you have trained in a different form for a while."

Aang dug some more through his large bag. He pulled out 2 impressive looking swords.

"Okay, based on the descriptions I gave you earlier, you'll tell me whether the sword belongs to the Earth Kingdom or the Fire Nation. We'll start with this one. It's called a Dadao." He said handing the weapon over to Katara. The second she grabbed hold of the hilt, she struggled with its weight.

"Yeah, that's definantly Earth Kingdom…" She managed to say, sounding like all her energy was being used in holding the sword up.

Aang laughed at the look on her face as she struggled with the sword. "That's right." He took the sword away from her with his left hand and put it back in the bag. "The dadao is used in almost all forms of kung-fu. It literally means 'big-knife.' Its sheer size and weight matches the personality of the Earth Kingdom perfectly."

Katara was giving him an incredulous look.

"What?" Aang complained.

"You lifted that with _one _hand?"

Aang smiled. "My off hand, too. There was a reason I wanted to keep on training. It's a good workout."

Katara rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded like 'show-off.' Aang grinned even more and raised the second sword.

"This one's called the Katana. It's a weapon of the karate style. There's an entire form based on mastering this weapon, it's called Kendo, the way of the sword. It was used by the samurai. The samurai were ancient warriors of the Fire Nation who lived by a strict moral and ethical code. They functioned a lot like a police force. Many considered them to have been the greatest swordsmen in existence." He handed it over to Katara, who liked it already due to the fact that she could pick it up.

"It's light weight, incredibly sharp, and carefully balanced at the hilt. These things are very durable. The Fire Nation has always been the most technologically advanced Nation, so it's no surprise that they developed the Katana. They have often been called the 'world's most perfect swords'. This is one weapon you could learn to use, as the movements are very fluid. All strikes and parries are connected to each other, causing it to 'flow,' much like the arm movements of waterbending, so it will come easier. I recommend something like this for you." Aang's face lit up as Katara began examining the sword in a way that a Master would. She had this natural ability to get things right the first time. It still impressed him to this day how quickly she had earned he title of 'Master Waterbender.'

"Why should the weapon and form resemble water? I mean, I'm glad to know that you are taking the fact that this could be hard for me into account, but you _did _say it would be a challenge."

"The weapon and form should always depict the personality of the person using it. Usually if the person and the form are well connected, the person will have an increased skill in using it. It has to do with how well your chi melds with what you are doing. I think that is why you were able to master waterbending so quickly. Your chi gives you natural talent and skill with water. Your chi will also support the most water-like of the martial arts. That pretty much limits you to the more elegant forms of Karate, like Kendo."

Katara looked down at the elegant sword in her hands. "I have to admit… you've got me interested with the katana. When I hold it, it just feels… so… natural. Like it belongs there."

Aang smiled. "That's how it is with all weapons for me. That must be why I like it so much. The fact that I'm the Avatar and I can control the elements of the Four Nations gives me a connection with all forms and styles. And, I don't know why, but I always wanted to share what I know with someone. It's nice to finally be able to do that."

Katara fully understood what he meant. When she was teaching Aang waterbending, it just felt so… right… to be able to share her knowledge. It now occurred to her that he had never taught anyone. Anyone at all. He was always the student, even now that he mastered the elements; he still persisted on training and learning as much as possible every day. He always had all this knowledge and wisdom, but no one to share it with. It must have felt great to be able to be the teacher for once.

"Okay, so Kendo it is?" Katara asked with a hopeful expression, katana still in her hands. Aang thought that she looked like a small child asking a parent for sweets. He silently laughed to himself.

"Sure. This was the second form I mastered, after Cuong Nhu. And it's one of the world's most renowned techniques."

Katara smiled and looked at the sword in her hand and smiled. Something about it… It was like it called to her. It felt the same when she first realized she had the ability to bend water. She scanned her new weapon up and down, learning its feel, design, the contours of the leather grip on the hilt, the smoothness of the folded steel of the blade…. But suddenly a thought surfaced that took away the smile and replaced it with a look of accusation.

"If you mastered this so early, why did waterbending give you so much trouble?"

Aang's eyes widened slightly at her question. "Well, I- uhh… I mean that it did an- I just…"

"If this is so much like waterbending, you should have mastered waterbending easy. But we trained for hours every day. It took you the longest to figure it out, you even mastered fire before you got water completely down."

Aang's wide eyes were now relaxed and a grin was spread across his face. "Okay, you're right. I should have mastered water much earlier. But if I didn't, that was an extra few hours every day I got to be with you."

Katara raised an eyebrow, giving him a conspicuous look. She was smiling as well. "So you kept yourself from mastering waterbending quickly so we could splash water at each other every day?"

Aang's grin widened to the point it could have ripped his face in half. He held out both his hands like he was a scale. "Spend three hours in the water with a beautiful girl in her underwear, or try and carry boulders while Toph yelled that I was a failure in life… I think the first one wins."

Katara stared at him blankly again. "Was that a joke?"

Aang's grin was gone, his expression now serious. "It's not 9:00 yet."

Katara blushed intensely, easily visible in the dark of the early morning.

Aang's grinned returned. "You know, you blush a lot more than you used to."

Katara's blush grew even more concentrated, causing Aang's grin to become all the stronger.

"I- well, I… umm, ahem… c'mon, you've got some stuff to teach me." Katara pulled him by the arm out into the meadow. Aang grabbed his bag as he was being pulled away.

Once Katara had led them out to the center, she let go of his arm and turned to face him, holding the Katana out in-front of her. "Okay, what's first?" She asked eagerly.

Aang walked up to her and snatched the sword out of her hand. "First, we don't train with these. These are dangerous, rare and expensive." He placed the Katana back in the bag. "The training sword of Kendo… is this," Aang told her as he pulled 2 swords, about the same lengths as the Katana, out of the bag. They looked like they were made of strips of bamboo.

"This is a Shinai, the practice katana. It's made of bamboo to keep it light, and it's in strips to keep the blade part springy, so no serious injury occurs. It is, in essence, a metal-less katana, without the curve of the blade. It's still a dangerous weapon if you know how to use it." Aang walked over to her and handed her one, then stepped next to her.

"This is the first thing you'll learn. Parrying is essential, if you don't want your head to be chopped off. Position your hands like this on the hilt, right hand on top, about 1 inch away from the hand guard."

Katara followed his example and mover her hand up the hilt. Once in the correct position, Aang proceeded to teach her how to block an overhead strike.

"When you move the sword up to block, don't be so rigid. Keep your arms loose, but not so loose that the strike gets through. And keep your right leg back, foot pointing 90 degrees away from you. Like this… Yeah, like that. Make sure you don't go to high… Alright, you've got the basic motion now. To get a feel for actually blocking, we're gonna run a drill. I'll attack at random intervals, and you'll have to successfully parry 20 attacks. Then we'll move on to the next set of parries."

--------------------

This went on until sunrise, Katara learning all the most basic parries, the head, the upper body, mid-body, the lunge at the torso, and the legs. Aang then felt she was ready to learn the first offensive moves.

"Okay, by parrying you should have a basic understanding of how these attacks work. Overhead is simple enough. Raise the shinai to the point where the bottom tip of the hilt is at forehead level. As you strike down, extend your arms so it ends up higher than it originally did. To gain a little extra power, step forward as you swing. In their simplest forms, these movements could be compared to those of the water whip… Now swing down the way I told you."

Aang stepped back and observed Katara's swing. She had gotten the basic defensive moves down, but it looked like the offensive moves gave her a little more trouble. She wasn't getting good extension and she was letting the shinai hit the floor with a loud thud.

"How was that?" Katara asked in a hopeful tone.

Aang rubbed his chin as he approached her. "Two things. The first is that you should _never _let the blade hit the floor. It leaves you completely open to attack. The second is that you aren't letting your arms extend enough on the way down. Let the weight of the shinai pull your arms forward slightly."

Katara nodded and tried again. The blade didn't hit the floor this time, but she was still not allowing the sword to carry the weight of the attack.

Aang approached her once more. "You're not letting the sword be the weapon. You have to relax a little. Like _this._" Aang got jut behind Katara and put his hand on the hilt with hers. Katara blushed vigorously. Aang smiled, remembering how often Katara would have to fix his stances, the way he was doing now.

"Raise it up to your forehead…" He moved her hands upwards. "Now, with the back leg, step forward, slowly. As you are half way through the step, begin strike down. Let the sword pull away a little." He helped her complete the strike. He remained with his arms wrapped around her, letting Katara look at him for a second, with Aang softly smiling. She was still red in the face.

"What?" She asked, her throat feeling dry.

"It's nice being on the side that _causes _the blushes, instead of _getting_ them, for once." Aang said in a soft voice.

If Katara blushed any more, she could have died from the lack of blood to the rest of her body. "Well, honestly, it feels nice to be on the side that receives them."

"Hmmm, it does?" Aang shot her a conspiratorial look.

Katara nodded and smiled.

Aang got a _huge_ grin. "Want me to make you blush some more?" He whispered in her ear.

The answer came in form of Katara's elbow strongly making impact with his stomach, resulting in Aang making an 'oooff'-ing sound, and Katara doubling over and laughing whole-heartedly.

"What's that tell you?" Katara managed to squeeze out between laughs.

"It tells me you have trouble taking anything I say seriously."

Katara stopped laughing. "It wasn't a joke?"

"It's not 9:00 yet." Aang said calmly, face straight and serious. Katara felt a tingling in her spine and she shivered. She blushed yet again, the third time in less than five minutes.

"See? I told you I'd make you blush again." Aang's usual grin was back.

"I- uh… let's get back to practice…" Katara said quickly, turning away from Aang. "Uhhh, what were we doing again?"

Aang laughed. "Alright. We were working on your overhead swing. Now, do what we did together, but faster."

Katara pulled herself together. She raised the shinai into the correct stance. Aang watched as she took a breath and swung the sword out in-front of her. She got it right this time, the hilt extending farther up, as she let the weight of her weapon do the majority of the work in her swing, only using her own strength to follow through. She looked over at him, as if to ask whether or not she got it right.

Aang smiled and nodded. "You did that one perfectly. Congratulations." Aang picked up his shinai. "But before you move on to the next set of strikes, you have to drill again." He positioned his shinai overhead, ready to parry. "Break through. Using the perfect form. Ten times."

"Ughhhh…"

Aang smiled. "No one said this would be easy. You can stop now, if you want. But if you want to keep going, break through."

Katara pulled her shinai up into position. She took her step forward and brought it down overhead. It broke through Aang's defenses on the first shot. Aang looked slightly taken back, but then remembered he was dealing with Katara, and reminded himself how good she is at this kind of thing.

Aang smiled. "Good. Nine more."

--------------------

They continued with the rest of the basic attacks until about 7:30. Up to this point, Katara had learned all of the defensive moves along with the overhead strike, the slash at the upper body, the lunge, the attack to the legs, and the hardest, the uppercut. Until now, Katara had only tried each of these moves standing stationary. Once she finished with the last drill, she looked up Aang. She had a thin layer of perspiration on her forehead.

"Now it's time to work on your footing." He walked over to her and took away her shinai. "You won't need this for this exercise." He dropped both shinai's next to his bag of weapons.

"This will teach you how to move around the battlefield and around your opponent. Kendo is anything but stationary. Strafing, advancing and retreating are essential if you want to gain the upper hand."

He positioned them in the center of the meadow, one facing the other. "Right now, there is an equal advantage. We both have an equal amount of land behind us and to our sides. We have the same amount of moving space. The point of footwork is to take that space away from your opponent, giving him less room to move and less room to get away.

"Let's say I start advancing on you like this." Aang began walking straight towards Katara. "What will you do to make sure I don't overtake you?"

Katara began walking backwards, keeping a little bit of distance between her and Aang. "Good. You know when to retreat. But I just gained about 10 feet of land. You just lost 10. Strafing comes in at getting that land back. Circle your opponent until you've got the space back."

Katara began to strafe around Aang, until they switched places, Katara now having more space behind her.

"Great. You understand the concept of elbow room. The more of it you have, the better off you are. But there advantages are not gained only by the amount of space you have. Let's say that I start to strafe around to your left…" Aang began to slowly circle Katara, walking around her left side. "What would you do to keep the advantage over me?"

Taking a moment to think out the symmetry of the meadow, she followed his strafe to the left. He stopped abruptly. Katara had to squint to see him through the bright morning sun. "Good. You understand the geometry of the battlefield. But I told you, advantages are not only gained by the amount of space you have to move. Right now, you are at the disadvantage."

Katara cocked her head to the side, as if to ask 'how so?'

Aang understood her body language, and pointed behind him and upwards with his thumb.

She suddenly got it. "The sun's in my eyes…"

Aang nodded. "The sun is in your eyes. This was to teach you that sometimes one advantage had to be lost to keep another, greater one. Keep this in mind, if you ever find yourself fighting in a place with lots of trees, bushes and obstacles like large rocks."

Katara felt the undying need to toy with him. His serious attitude nearly begged for it. "Yes, Sifu Aang."

Aang raised an eyebrow at her remark, but then shrugged it off. "C'mon. We're going back to the river for the next part. I have a feeling that being near water will help you feel more comfortable when we start making combinations." Aang picked up his bag of weapons and stated towards the river.

"Very well, Sifu Aang." Katara tried to say with as much of a straight face as she could.

Aang shot her a look. "You know I hate titles. Stop calling me 'Sifu.'"

Katara smiled. "As you wish, Master Aang."

"Do you want me to start calling you 'grasshopper'?"

Katara laughed. "No, I think I'll stick with 'Katara'."

"Then I'll stick with 'Aang'. Let's get to the river."

--------------------

Aang and Katara made it to the riverside. Aang dropped the bag of weapons next to him and pulled out the two shinai's. He dropped them on the floor and began taking off his shirt and boots, resulting in Katara blushing once more.

"You'll get the best feel for the water if we're _in_ the water. Being around your element will help you make smooth, water-like transitions between different attacks and different blocks."

Katara nodded and began undressing down to her traditional white undergarments that she practiced waterbending in, thus making Aang blush in a severely bright red. They waded out into the water, until it was about half way up Katara's lower leg, like it usually was when they waterbended.

Aang stood next to Katara. "Okay, the first combination of attacks you will learn is the uppercut to the overhead strike. It's simple and effective. You already know how to do these attacks, now all you have to do is tie them together." Aang positioned his shinai to exhibit the move. "So you uppercut, from right to left or from left to right… it doesn't matter at this point. Now, at the top of the uppercut, instead of repositioning the sword for the overhead strike, you smoothly transition from one to another, never breaking the movement of the uppercut, so it looks like one action instead of two separate ones." Aang did the motions of combination as he went saying each one.

Aang did the move once more quickly to make sure Katara understood what it was supposed to look like. But instead of watching the technique, Katara's attention was focused elsewhere.

"Uh, I know I look good, but if you wouldn't mind redirecting your attention to the shinai for a moment, we can get on with your training."

Katara blushed but quickly retorted. "You flatter yourself." She said with a laugh. "Besides, it's not like _you've_ been looking at my face the whole time we've been here."

Aang blushed as well. "I know I haven't. You look good, too. But either way, we need to get on with your training."

Katara smiled. "So, I look good, huh?"

Aang figured he'd play along. They had the rest of the day for practice. "Yeah, you do look good. You look great."

Katara smiled and began walking his way. "How great?"

"You're gorgeous."

Katara blushed even more. She slowly stepped closer. She approached until their faces were just centimeters apart. Aang's breathing hitched.

"You think I'm gorgeous?" She whispered.

Aang felt her warm breath on his lips. He shivered. She was so _close…_ "Y-yeah… you're amazing."

If either of them moved just in the slightest, their lips would have met. Aang's face had an expression combining eagerness and apprehensiveness. Katara looked at him square in the eyes for a moment, before she got an evil smirk.

"Hmmm…" Katara hummed, as if thinking over the situation. Her smirk grew into a full sized smile. She turned and walked away, raising her shinai and began practicing the aforementioned technique.

Aang was frozen where he stood for a moment, trying to figure out what had happened. Once he understood what she did to him, he groaned loudly and fell over backwards, landing in the water.

He stood up and shook some of the water off. "You suck." He said plainly, sending her an angry glare.

She only laughed in response.

Aang sighed and walked over to her. "Okay, do it again."

"What?!"

"The combination. I didn't really see you do it the first time. I was too busy trying to figure out what the hell I did to deserve that kind of punishment."

"Heh-heh. Alright."

--------------------

She was actually quite good; she got it near perfect right away. Being near the water helped, it gave helped her feel the fluidity of her motions. Once Aang was satisfied that she had done it enough, they moved on to the other 2-move and 3-move combinations. They finished within an hour. The time was now about 8:30 in the morning.

"You're doing great. Even better than I expected, actually. It's only been a few hours and you have already learned the whole first tier of offensive and defensive moves. Be proud of yourself, you earned it."

Katara smiled. She liked this teacher side of Aang. He knew when to be critical and when to be supportive. And she never thought in a million years that Aang could be so serious. It was one of the reasons she was listening to him so well. It intrigued her. This morning she discovered a whole side to Aang that she never knew existed.

"So what do we do now?" She asked eagerly.

"Now, we put what you've learned to the test. Fight me."

Katara's eager face was gone. "Me? Fight you? Are you kidding?"

Aang looked up at the position of the sun. "It's not 9:00 yet. Now come on. I won't do anything that you haven't learned."

Katara looked nervous but she agreed. They faced each other and took the most basic of sword fighting stances, sword in front of you, angled out 45 degrees. Katara still looked nervous. Aang sympathized with her.

"I won't hurt you, and you won't hurt me. Pull your swings just enough so that they break the parry, but not enough that we hit each other. First one to get touched by the opponents' sword loses."

Katara was still a little apprehensive.

"Katara, you know what you are doing. Not even I got through the first tier of moves as quick as you did. Just remember what I taught you and you'll be fine. You were never this nervous when Pakku told you to spar with his other students at the North Pole."

"Well, yeah, but I knew that I could easily wipe the floor with any of them."

"Did I ever complain about sparring with you when I was learning waterbending?"

"No, but you didn't really have a choice. The world depended on it. You didn't have time to worry about embarrasing yourself in-front of me."

"That's what this is about? You're worried that you'll make a fool out of yourself with me here?"

Katara was a little pink in the cheeks, but nodded.

Aang thought to himself quietly for a second. "Look, I'll say something so embarrasing that it won't matter how bad you mess up."

Katara looked up at him. "What?"

Aang stepped closer to her. He blushed a little and tried to avert his sight from her. "I, uhh… I promised myself I'd never say this… I didn't know how you'd react…"

Katara saw him trying to look away from her. "Aang, what is it?"

Aang stopped fidgeting and looked her dead in the eye. He stepped closer to her. Aang closed his eyes. "Please don't hate me for this…" He mumbled under his breath. Katara heard it though.

"Aang, I could never hate you." Katara began to blush a little as well. "You and I both know that I like you too much for that."

"That's why I'm worried."

"What do you mean?"

Aang opened his eyes and looked at Katara. "I know that you like me. But I don't know how deep it goes. That's why I'm so worried about telling you this…" He paused. Aang closed his eyes again. "Katara… I love you."

Aang's entire body went numb after saying it; like that one phrase drained all the energy out of him. When he opened his eyes, he found Katara, her arms around his neck in a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"So I take it you love me back?" Aang asked sounding a little confused and a little drained.

Katara laughed. "Of course I do, you idiot."

Aang pulled away so that he could look at her. His hands were still on her waist. His face was pretty much one big smile. They looked at each other for a moment. And, within a split second, their faces came together and they shared their first kiss since that time in the cave two and a half years ago.

When they were done, Aang picked up Katara's shinai off the ground. He held it up in-front of her.

"You've got nothing to be ashamed of anymore. Fight me."

Katara looked at him incredulously. "Are you kidding me? We just _finally _told each other that we love each other _and _we just kissed for the first time and the first thing that you want to do is fight me?"

"No, I'm not kidding you. It's not 9:00 yet. And I had to master all 4 elements and stop a war before I could tell you how I felt. The least you can do is finish your training for today." Aang was smiling.

Katara had her hands on her hips. "Why should I?"

Aang arms wound about her waist again. "If you win, there's more ways I can congratulate you on a job well done now."

Katara eyed him suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. Eventually she just laughed. "Alright. But, if I win, I get you for the rest of the day. If you win, I'll keep on training until you say when."

Aang, with his arms still around Katara, agreed to her terms. They separated and faced each other. They bowed respectfully and began the match. Aang started by circling her. She followed.

"Remember, sometimes an advantage has to be lost. Be aware of your surroundings."

Katara glanced around. Aang was positioning her right in-front of a tree, leaving her nowhere to escape to. She stopped her strafing and began advancing on Aang. She lunged at him; Aang deflected her attempted stab and riposted with his own lunge. Katara parried easily and then swung at his left side. He blocked and Katara pulled her sword overhead, swinging it down over him. Aang blocked her strike and forced her sword down. Katara now had a perfect opportunity to uppercut at his left side, as her sword was under his, but she didn't notice.

Aang took a few steps back and stood a little more at ease.

"You're not thinking enough. Don't allow your instinct to fight for you. Remember what we've been doing for the past few hours. Think about what your next move should be. Think about what your next three moves should be. Plan ahead."

Katara nodded and began advancing on Aang. She swung down overhead. Aang jumped back and she missed. She kept advancing as she attacked, forcing Aang to walk backwards. She took a quick step forward to close the distance between the two of them. With her sword still low from her missed overhead strike, she uppercutted towards his right side. Aang parried and knocked her blow back. Using the momentum that Aang gave her from his parry, she swung at his right side quickly. Aang saw the swing out of the corner of his eye and only had enough time to knock it back and retreat a few steps.

"Good, you remembered the combinations. Now how about defending?"

Aang began to advance on her. He took two quick strides and closed the distance between the two of them. He swung at her left leg. She parried and forced his sword back. She riposted with a lunge. Aang blocked and brought his sword overhead. Instead of parrying, Katara strafed around to his right side, causing him to miss and leave his right side entirely exposed. She lunged once more as quickly as she could before Aang would notice.

The tip of her shinai made contact with his arm. At first Aang looked surprised but then he smiled. "I told you that you had nothing to be worried about. You're a better waterbender than I am. It's only natural that you be good at this, too."

Katara was grinning, relishing her victory. "I think you remember our terms."

Aang was grinning too. "Yes, I do remember our terms." Aang walked up to her. "But first, I think I owe you congratulations." Aang pulled her into an embrace and kissed her passionately. Its intensity made Katara feel light on her feet. He pulled away so he could talk to her.

"Congratulations. You learned the basic techniques of Kendo in only a few hours. You did great. Better than I could have ever imagined" Aang let go of her. "Now, I do believe you've got me all to yourself for the rest of the day."

"Yes I do."

"So…" Aang slowly approached Katara with a grin on his face. He placed his hands on her waist. "What are we gonna do first?"

Katara got an evil grin. She held up her shinai. "Next tier."

Aang's grin fell off his face. "You're kidding, right?"

"Is it 9:00 yet?"

"If it means me getting back on your lips, I'll make it 9:00."

Katara laughed. "Kiss me." She commanded him.

Aang readily obliged.

**That has to be the longest single piece I've ever written. It took me, like, four days. Whatever, it's finally finished. Here are the definitions **_(order in which the words appear)_

**Kata: Japanese word describing detailed patterns of movements practiced either solo or in pairs**

**Cuong Nhu: A Vietnamese martial art combining Shotokan karate, wing chun, judo, aikido, Tai Chi Chuan, boxing, and vovinam**

**Chi: the word roughly meaning "life energy"**

**Tambo: A very short staff about 2 ft long, the name is a reference in comparison to the longer bo staff.**

**Yanyue Dao: 5 or 6 foot staff with a large blade on one end. Sometimes called Guan Dao or Kwan Dao. In Chinese, it is properly called the Yanyue Dao, which translates into 'reclining moon blade.'**

**Bolo/Itak: A kind of machete used particularly in the jungles of Indonesia, the Philippines, and in the sugar fields of Cuba. The study of the bolo is common in the Filipino martial arts.**

**Tieshan/Tessen: Iron war fan used in both Chinese and Japanese feudal warfare. Easy to hide, can be carried into a place where weapons normally are not allowed.**

**Rope Dart: A long rope (usually 14' - 16') with a metal dart attached to one end. This was a weapon from ancient times, which allows the user to throw the dart out at a long range target and use the rope to pull it back.**

**Dadao: Translates directly to "big-knife." Known as the Chinese 'great sword.'**

**Katana: The word 'sword' in the Japanese language. Traditionally used by the Samurai. Are often called the 'world's most perfect sword.'**

**Kendo: Ancient Japanese practice of sword fighting. Practiced with the shinai, actual fighting is done with a katana.**

**Shinai: A practice sword used primarily in Kendo. Made of four bamboo slats.**

**Parry: A 'block' in swordsmanship terms.**

**Riposte: A quick strike after successfully parrying.**


	4. Responses to Reviews

**Well, if you were looking for an update, here's bad news for you. Since Kairuthefrog requested a response to her comment, I went ahead and wrote it. I wasn't gonna make her wait until I updated the story again.**

_Response to Kairuthefrog…_

I kinda figured I'd get something wrong. But good to know I got some stuff right, though.

For 'Kata', the definition was off of wikipedia. :) I knew what it meant (as I was in the Kempo style of Karate for a while, but I had to stop when I was really young) but I couldn't find the right words to explain it. I'm in kendo now, though. My friend teaches it and he insists on getting me to go to his class. I've been doing that for a few months now.

I know that not all styles and forms were invented by monks, but after the 3rd day of writing, I began getting really impatient and I wanted to post my story, so I just went for the most basic explanation I could think of, meaning their origins. I know, I'm lazy :). That one style, Cuong Nhu, was actually invented by this Vietnamese doctor who came to the U.S in the sixties. I know someone who is really into it. Seeing as how it encouraged the use of wooden weapons, I applied it to Aang's glider-staff thingy.

For the mastering of the styles, I went off of 2 things. The first was that Aang's supposed to 'master' water, earth, and fire in six months. I'm guessing that the creators of Avatar aren't gonna have Aang fail and lose the war. It wouldn't be very nickelodeon-esque if they did that. The second was that I was constantly comparing the Air Monks to the Shaolin Monks in my head. I saw a documentary on the Shaolin Monks, and they have some 5 year olds doing some crazy stuff. I know that there is no true term as to 'master' a technique since there will always be something to learn or improve, and that it is just a term of respect when talking to your teacher or superior. (Master Pakku, Master Huu, Master Katara, etcetera, etcetera) But seeing as how the show uses that term to express a high skill level, I went ahead and used it myself.

Katara learning the first few moves as fast as she did, that was more realistic. The first tier of moves can be learned in a few hours. I learned them that fast. It doesn't become real elegant or an effective way of fighting until much later on, though. Like when you learn the underhand stance. That's hard stuff.

And the push-ups… bleh. I was just writing for the sake of writing at that part. I do that at the beginnings, just setting up the story. I was thinking that since he was on his third _set, _he had taken breaks in-between. If not I would have said he was by push-up 137. I like to draw on logic and common-sense. It's the part of the 'gifted class' placement test that I failed in elementary school. Lol. Yeah, push-ups are tiring, but like I said, I was just writing for the hell of writing. I wasn't looking that deeply into it.

And you like my writing… That's pretty high praise. I've read your works. You're a much better writer than I am. Master Kairu. Heh-heh. :) Or Sifu. Or Sensei…

**To the rest of you, it wouldn't be fair to only write a response to Kairu, so here's anything that crossed my mind when reading your reviews for "The Martial Arts."**

_Response to frozenheat…_

Effort… Not really. Sorry. Most of it was previous knowledge. I barely ever do research for school; I wouldn't do it for a fanfic. Like I said, I'm lazy. :) I would have liked to include several other weapons like the Bokken, Tai Chi Sword, Cane Sword, Nunchaku _(not nunchuks, to anyone who mispronounces them), _Sanjiegun _(3 section Nunchaku), _Chain Whip, Nagamaki, Wakizashi, Tanto, and the list goes on, but once more, I'm lazy. That would have taken several other pages to write out.

The 9:00 joke just came across. I never even meant for it to be a joke when I wrote it the first time, but then everything just clicked.

I can't believe you liked that fight scene. I thought it was pure crap. But I can't say I didn't think it through, though. When I was writing it, I was constantly standing up and swinging my shinai around, trying to imagine a simple, beginner's fight in my head.

Yeah, I thought they were good reasons, too. :)

And I'm glad you liked it. Good reviews make me feel euphoric.

_Response to liselle129…_

Yeah, the romance and sexual things are really something when applied to these two. I particularly liked the part where Aang falls into the river :) The whole idea about using the martial arts in an informative way came from a long discussion between me and my friend about whether the weapons of China's martial arts were better than those of Japan's. I sided with China. People can argue it, but when it applies to things like swords, bigger is very often better (with a few exceptions, like the katana). Plus I own a Dadao, and I love that thing like it was a family member.

I actually wanted Sokka to show up towards the end, but once again, after 22 pages, I decided to screw it. Maybe in a sequel…

_Response to MormonMaiden…_

KINDA ooc? I was figuring that I could change the names and post it as an original story. Lol. I was aiming for a little OOC, since people change over the course of time. I wanted to keep their basic features, but Aang and Katara had entered their well-into-puberty/sexual-overdrive years. I wanted my story to reflect that.

**So yeah. I don't know what kind of reviews you can write to this, but feedback is always appreciated.**


	5. The Argument

**Here's to my first 1st person P.O.V story. Inspired by 'Brightest in the Dark,' by Ataraia. Switches from Aang's P.O.V to Katara's P.O.V.**

**No comedy in this one. For some reason I seem to alternate between funny and gloomy…**

**Don't own Avatar**

**The Argument**

**_Aang's P.O.V_**

It started for a reason that neither of us remember. One minute I come back from the forest, and then the next thing we know, we are at each others throats. We rarely ever yell at each other, and when we do, it hits hard. But I don't know who gets hit harder. I imagine I do, seeing as how I love you the way I do. I know that you could never love me. I'm just a kid who has to save the whole world from a reign of terror and destruction. You deserve someone older. Someone better. Like Haru…

When we argue so intensely, it just reminds me just how far my fantasies about you are from reality. Katara, I never want to hurt you. I never want to upset you. But when you yell, I need to yell in return. It's the only thing keeping me from breaking down where I stand as I remember that it's impossible for you to love me back.

I would like to think that our friendship, for whatever it is worth to you, would keep us from screaming at each other. Apparently, this is not so, as is being proven now. I like the moments we share when it is quiet and we are alone, no mater how platonic it is. It makes me feel secure knowing that you see me as a friend and that you can be with me. That you trust me. I guess no friendship, no matter how strong, can keep people from fighting.

You have no idea how much I hate seeing you like this. I can usually see any emotions you have just by looking at your eyes. And right now, those emotions are horrifying. There is a point where one gets so angry it can frighten the life out of people. It was happening to me. I had to look away when I saw it, it felt painful. I have never seen such a look in your eye. Not when we were fighting the Fire Nation, not when Jet betrayed your trust, not even when Pakku refused to teach you. What I saw, it looked like you were imagining that you were holding a knife to my throat.

Throughout the course of the argument, I got carried away. I said one thing in particular that I completely regretted. Somehow the argument got as low as to fling insults at each other. Then my pea-sized brain completely ignored all logic and reason. I don't even remember what it was that I said. All I know is that it had something to do with why your mother died. The second that comment left my lips, I saw a flash of pain so terrible in your eyes that tears began to well up in mine. As fast as the pain had appeared in your eyes, it was replaced with the anger that scared me so.

I muttered apology after apology, desperately trying to convince you that I didn't mean what I said. I called myself every low, vile, putrid insult in the book. And you just stood there, frozen, imagining a dagger embedded in my chest. I knew what was coming, but I didn't want to believe it. There would be 3 words so simple and small that would pretty much destroy my world.

And they came.

_**Katara's P.O.V**_

I didn't want to say it, but it was pretty much forced out of me. Those 3 little words… How could I not say them after what you had said about my mother? You knew how delicate that subject was. It was probably just the heat of the argument that made you say it, but either way the damage was done, and it would take a helluva _('hell of a' in Keifer Sutherland terms)_ lot more than some apologies to repair it.

I desperately didn't want to say it, but I did. I had to.

"I hate you."

There couldn't have been a bigger lie in existence. If there was anything I felt towards you, it definantly wasn't that.

I said the words. I didn't even scream them. I just said them in a sort-of loud whisper. It sounded plain evil when I heard it. It sounded sinister. When I said it, I got this pain in the pit of my stomach, a feeling that told me that there would be repercussions. And big ones.

Hate… That was the polar opposite of what I felt towards you. Love… That was more like it. It was a love so strong that not even what you had said could put a dent in the emotion. I knew it was wrong. Three times wrong. You are the Avatar. You are a monk. And you are only 12 years old. That's three reasons why I shouldn't love you. It's just wrong.

The Avatar has a duty to the world. And no one can be put in the way of that. As a monk, you had taken a vow not to love. To you, it was immoral. And as a 12 year old kid… Was it allowed to have such strong feelings towards someone so young? Perhaps if you were 13… But that's just a one year difference! Does the suffix –teen really make that big of a difference? Either way, I shouldn't love you. It's just… wrong.

I was feeling that anger… The kind of anger I feel towards the Fire Nation when I see my mother's grave at the South Pole. It was a feeling of vengeance. Of pure and utter need to hurt the source of that anger.

Before I could stop myself, I spoke some more.

"Go away. Never talk to me again."

_**Aang's P.O.V**_

"_I hate you."_

It wasn't as rocky as I had imagined it would be. It didn't even hurt that much. I just felt… numb. Like I hadn't really heard anything. But I knew the meaning behind those words. You would never want to see my face near you again.

'I hate you'… How ironic that this phrase is only one word away from how I feel about you. They even have the same number of letters.

'I love you'… Now it was _really _impossible for you to ever feel the same way about me. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't even want to be friend anymore. To even be acquaintances. You probably wish that you had never met me… All for something that neither of us can remember.

"_Go away. Never talk to me again."_

That one was a full blow. It seemed like everything that didn't hurt me with the _'I hate you' _came with this. It echoed through my body, a hollow pain that was so intense it could have triggered the Avatar State… I don't really know why it _wasn't_ triggered. Maybe it was because I love you and I didn't want to see you get hurt.

My eyes glazed over with tears for a split second, and then I slammed my eyelids shut. I reopened them near instantly, but when I did, the tears and pain were gone. It was replaced with a blank, emotionless expression that I had only used once before, when I had to speak with the spirit Koh.

I consented to your wishes and didn't say a word. I nodded slightly so you would know I got what you meant. I turned and walked away.

_**Katara's P.O.V**_

You walked off. That feeling in the pit of my stomach… It had somehow manifested a voice and was screaming '_I TOLD YOU SO!!! I TOLD YOU SO!!!_'

What hurt the most… It wasn't that you walked off. It wasn't that you didn't say a word. It was the look on your face. I told you back at the desert that you shouldn't give up feeling. But that expression… You just looked like you didn't care! You looked like it didn't matter! You looked like you were contempt with staying away from me!

I could have sworn that I saw a bit of sadness. I saw a whole lot of sadness. But then you just blocked it out. You blocked me out. And I later found out that you blocked everyone out.

Me, Sokka, Toph… You stayed away from all of us. You busied yourself with meaningless tasks around the campsite. You even ignored Momo. You disconnected yourself from the world.

At least you would say something to Toph or Sokka if they asked. No matter how brief the conversation was. You wouldn't even make eye contact with me. Dinner time came. I heard you say to Sokka that you weren't hungry and then you walked off into the forest. I knew it was just so that you wouldn't have to be in the same place as me.

There wasn't a word to describe how terrible I felt. It must have shown, though, because Sokka and Toph would often come by and place a comforting hand on my shoulder.

It used to be YOUR job to do that…

I wanted my friend back.

I wanted the guy I loved back.

I wanted YOU back.

_**Aang's P.O.V**_

I felt terrible doing it but it had to be done. It was for the best. I refused to look at any part of you. If you would say something, I wouldn't listen. If you approached me, I walked away. You managed to get me to look at you once. But I blinded myself from what I saw. I didn't want to see it.

There was too much emotion inside of me right now. I could never look at you again. I love you, but you hate me. You must want me dead. Again, I don't blame you. I blame myself.

I couldn't bear to look at you when you said you hated me so much. You scared me. And it frightens me to think that I love you so much that I have to stop loving you so that I wouldn't feel as much pain as I could.

I walked away, into the forest, around dinner time. Again, I refused to look at you. If I did, I would just see that same anger and hate glaring back at me, burning a hole between my eyes.

I would stay out there all night. I would sleep there. I would do anything that would help me to not see you. I would do anything to make sure you didn't see me. I didn't want you to have that anger. No matter whom it was directed towards. The easiest way to get rid of that anger was to get rid of me.

So I went away. You would see me in the morning, and I would respect your wishes. I would go away and I would keep my mouth shut.

I found a place to stay in the forest. It looked free of snakes and other dangerous vermin. You wouldn't come looking for me out here.

If I was out here you didn't have to see me.

If I was out here, you wouldn't have to be angry.

If I was out here, I would be able to love you the only way I could.

And that way was to make sure you didn't have to be around me.

_**Katara's P.O.V**_

Dinner went by quietly, with the exception of Sokka and Toph saying meaningless things to each other. I ignored them. I was used to doing just that. Seeing as how around this time you and I would normally be involved in our own conversation.

Why did I have to be so angry? Sure my mother was a touchy subject, but was it really worth all this? Did I really get so angry about it that it left me feeling like this? Cold and alone? Without you?

If someone could feel dead, it must have felt pretty much like this. I felt empty. I didn't notice when Sokka and Toph's conversation ended.

"You should go after him, you know." Sokka said first.

"Huh?" I snapped out of my thoughts.

"He's right. Go find Aang. You're miserable." Toph added, not so bluntly.

I looked at the ground and Sokka shot Toph an angry glare.

"Katara, if you really love him, go find him." Sokka said more affectionately than Toph.

I looked up at Sokka with a confused expression. He smiled faintly.

"Yeah, I know. Toph knows. Everyone we've met pretty much knows. Except for Aang."

At this, a tear fell down my face. Was I really that obvious? And somehow, it just made what I did to you seem worse. I found another hand on my shoulder. I moved my sight up the arm until I found myself looking at Toph.

"Here's something else that we know. He loves you too, Sugar Queen."

I looked confused again, and I moved my line of sight from Toph over to Sokka.

"It's true." He said. "Why do you think he was avoiding you? He saw how upset he made you and he thought that the only way to make sure you're not upset is to stay away from you. He doesn't want you to be sad or angry or anything. Even if that means he has to give you up."

Another tear made its way down my cheek and it dripped onto the floor. I stared into the campfire we were sitting around.

"I really messed up, didn't I?" I said in a soft voice. Any anger I had held towards you that day was now focused at me. The secret object of my affection, you, had always loved me back. But I had to ruin it. The last 10 words I had said to you today drove you away from me. You thought that it was what I wanted…

"No, you both messed up." Came Toph's blunt but always truthful words. "If it wasn't for that stupid argument…"

Sokka glared at Toph again. She quieted down. "You should go find him." He said.

I nodded. I didn't know what I would say to you when I found you, but I just needed to find you.

To hold you.

To be with you.

I got up and headed for the forest.

_**Aang's P.O.V**_

I sat there, in the middle of the small clearing that would be my home until morning, in a not-very-effective meditation. Try as I might, I couldn't get you out of my head. It was so _confusing_! I love you… But I have to stay away from you because of that! I want to be able to be your friend again! I want to be able to make you laugh and talk and play around and waterbend and swim and everything we used to do together!

Why did I have to go and say that about your mother? Why don't I ever think out what I say? It happened at the Cave of Two Lovers and it happened here! I hate myself for it! I want to be able to hold you're hand. To hug you. To kiss you. And… maybe in a few years…

I heard footsteps off to my right, followed by your voice. You were looking for me. You sounded like you wanted to apologize. I didn't believe it, though. I saw the look in your eye. What I did was unforgivable.

I stayed in my meditative position, pretending that I didn't hear anything, despite the fact that you had just sat down in-front of me. I could hear you breath. You were hesitant about something.

"Aang?" You asked, waiting for me to respond to my name. I remained with my eyes closed, still pretending to meditate.

"Please Aang… Don't shut me out anymore. I'm sorry. I was angry at you. I didn't mean what I had said. Please…"

I flinched slightly at hearing the sadness in your voice. I hoped you didn't see it.

"Aang… I came out here to tell you something… I- I need you, Aang. Please listen to me. I've been miserable with you ignoring me like this. Don't shut me out anymore…"

Although my eyes were closed, it was pretty easy to see me wince and those last parts. You sounded so sad and sincere… No! It had to be some kind of trick! I heard you say it. I saw the anger in your eyes. You're better off without me…

"Aang… please Aang… I… I need you to be with me… I- I… I love you, Aang."

My eyes remained closed and my face remained emotionless but the rest of my body trembled. It was a trick… It had to be a trick. A tear rolled down my face.

"Don't lie like that, Katara. It's not nice to get someone's hopes up.…" I spoke to her for the first time in hours.

"What? No, Aang, it wasn't a lie! I love you! I mean it!" The sincerity in your voice was enough to get anyone to look at you. Well, anyone _else_. I remained with my eyes closed, muttering random things.

"It's a trick… It has to be… You could never love me… You hate me… I heard you…"

"Aang! I'm sorry! Please! How can I make you believe me?" You sounded like you were about to cry… I wanted to console you, to comfort you… But you wouldn't want me to…

"You can't… There's nothing to believe… Don't lie to me, Katara… You know I love you… Stop doing this to me…"

"Aang…" You whispered. It was a bone-chilling whisper. Then I realized that I had just told you that I love you… But sooner than that I realized that you had placed your lips over mine. My eyes shot open, my brain unable to comprehend what was happening. You kissed me gently and pulled away.

"Please Aang… Will you believe me now?" I looked at you for the first time since the argument ended. You were a mess. Your eyes were pink and puffy, from crying I assume. You were wearing a frown that I had never seen you put on before. You looked… terrible.

"Katara… why?" I asked. Why had you said everything that you had and then kissed me? Why did you tell me that you loved me? Why did you tell me to stay away from you? Why did we have that stupid argument?

"Because I love you, Aang. I mean it. Please… Believe me…"

I looked into you beautiful cobalt blue eyes, but I was scared that I might find some remnants of that anger. But all I found was sadness, and hope, and something I couldn't describe… I had seen it once before… When we were about to kiss… In the Cave.

I couldn't resist anymore. The walls crumbled. Tears jumped out of my eyes and a rapid pace. I threw myself on you and hugged you tightly.

"Katara, I'm so sorry! It's just… you were so angry at me… I didn't want you to be… I love you, too… It's just… please don't be lying… I'd rather spend the rest of my life as nothing more than your friend than have you lie to me about this…"

"Aang… I love you. I mean it." I raised my head so I could look into your eyes and you looked into mine. We smiled, the first time since the argument started. We lied down on the ground and kissed passionately for hours. We fell asleep there, me holding you and you holding me.

**-------------------- (Next Morning)**

"Hey Toph? Did you feel Aang and Katara come back last night?" Sokka asked.

Toph smiled. _This'll be good… _"Uh, yeah…" She lied "They came by late last night. I think they grabbed a couple of blankets and a spare change of clothes. Then they went back. Why?"

Toph could feel the vibrations caused by the muscles of Sokka's face tightening and loosening. His expression was one of pure anger.

Toph's smile widened.

"AAANNNGGG!!! KKAATTAARRAA!!"

**Lol. I couldn't resist. I needed a little bit of humor. And that seemed to fit perfectly.**

**Review Time! Yay!**


	6. The Morning of Black Sun

**I haven't updated anything in 5 days, so here's just a random drabble. I've been working on another sad fic, inspired by the commercial that we all know so well by now. It's coming along… it's been taking me some time, though. I guess I'll be finished in a couple of days… I already know what's going to happen in the next chapter of _'Aang, Katara, and a Plan'_ but I've gotten lazy again. Oh well.**

**This story is totally random. It came out of my mind, only inspired by some movies I was watching. I worked out the entire idea in my English class, while I was supposed to be reading Julius Caesar.**

**Seeing as how this story was inspired by a bunch of movies, there will be a bunch of recognizable lines in here. If they are from any movie, I take no credit for them.**

**So… yeah. This kind of fic has been done before, but I'll try my hand at it. I thought I had some good ideas. Well, whatever. On with the story!**

**I don't own Avatar.**

**The Morning of Black Sun**

"Generals." Aang said as he bowed hastily towards the Earth Kingdom military men, trying to make his way to the assembly area outside, at the opposite end of the building, his companions following close behind.

"Good evening, Avatar Aang. I suppose you are going to the assembly?"

Aang was about to speak when Katara put her hand on his shoulder. He hushed down.

"Yes, he is, and we really must be going now." Katara said quickly, pushing Aang along, making their way to the stage.

"C'mon, we're already half an hour late. I told you that you should have written a speech…" She trailed off, still forcing Aang to walk faster in-front of her.

"I don't need a speech. I know what I'm going to say… Can we slow down a little? You're wearing out the soles of my boots."

Katara stopped pushing him, but continued to berate him. "We don't have much time. Let's get going. The sooner we're done with this, the sooner we can get in position for the invasion. Now let's get to the stage!" She began to push at him again.

"Katara, calm down. This is no time to lose your nerves. Not today." Aang said soothingly, trying to relax her.

She stopped pushing and stopped walking. She turned to face him. "I- I know. But… this is such a big day… Are you sure we're ready?" Her mouth said _we're_ but her mind said _you're_. She cared strongly about the young Avatar standing before her, much more than she was willing to admit.

"Yes Katara. _I'm _ready. So are you. We all are." He said, looking at Sokka and Toph, who have decided to remain silent so far. He caught the meaning behind her _we're._

"Okay, I know you're right. But… This is what we've been preparing for! The day is finally here! Doesn't it seem like we have so much more to do? More to learn?"

Aang clasped her hands in his. "Katara, relax. I know it feels weird. I'm worried about today just as much as you are. But be confident. Think positive."

Sokka smiled at the last part. _I'm a good influence on this kid…_

"I- I know… I know. It's just…"

"Pre-fight jitters?" He asked, already knowing her answer.

She nodded. Aang dropped her hands and pulled her into a comforting hug. "I know. I've got them, too." He said quietly into her ear. "But stand strong. We're about to set an example for thousands of soldiers on the other side of that door. We need to look confident." He pulled out of the hug but took Katara's hand in his own; they both smiled and blushed.

Sokka rolled his eyes and Toph kept up her usual 'I don't care' act.

"Now let's get out there. They're waiting for us." Aang and the rest approached the large door leading to the outdoor assembly area. They could hear loud banter coming from the throng of soldiers, awaiting his speech.

Katara pulled him back from the door for a moment and put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll be in the first row, right in-front of the stage."

Sokka placed his hand on his other shoulder. "Yeah, and break a leg up there."

"Don't screw up." That was about as supportive as Toph ever got.

Aang smiled and began to pull on the handle of the door. "Wait, Aang." Katara told him. He turned to look at her. When he turned his head, Katara kissed him on the cheek. "Good luck."

Aang smiled and blushed, for a moment completely forgetting that he was about to give a speech to over a thousand loud, rowdy, anxious soldiers. Before thinking, he kissed _her _on the cheek. "Thanks."

Katara blushed heavily. Aang pulled the door open and stepped outside. The loud talking immediately settled down, and all the eyes in area fell on Aang and his friends. As Aang began to ascend the small staircase that led to the stage floor, Katara, Sokka, and Toph stood at the front of the group, smiling at their friend.

Aang smiled back and looked out at the massive crowd before him. Soldiers from every part could be seen, Earth Kingdom, Water Tribes, and the last remaining Air Nomad on the stage.

"Good Morning." Aang started out, clearing his throat after he spoke. "Today… Today is a monumental day. Today the allied Nations of the earth will begin the largest simultaneous attack the world has ever witnessed. Today you, and several thousand others, will begin the first true counter-offensive in this century long war. All across the globe, soldiers are getting ready for the forthcoming events. Today is the day of Black Sun, the day that the firebenders temporarily lose their bending ability. This day is our opportunity.

"Right now, as we prepare ourselves to do battle, countless others do the same. Soldiers of the allied Nations will be just off the coast of the Fire Nation continent, waiting for the moon to pass before the sun. At that time, we will mass a huge offensive, charging their shores with everything we have.

"Until now, secrecy has been our best weapon. We could not let the Fire Nation know that we have knowledge of this day. Today they are at their weakest, and that is our advantage. However, once we break through their waters, secrecy is no longer an issue. From then on out, their will be no stealth, no covert operations. We must take every second we can to cripple their military.

"Some people here might not feel so good about attacking a defenseless army. What you must know is that they are not defenseless in any way. With or without their bending, they will defend their land until the last drop of blood has been spilled, from them or us. Moreover, the eclipse will not last very long. Their powers will be lost for no more than an hour. Once the moon recedes from the sky, the real fighting begins.

"I know that each one of you know the plan, but I will go over it once more. Several large fleets of Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe ships will land on all sides of the Fire Nation continent at once in a well coordinated strike. At the same time, more allied soldiers will be advancing on Fire Nation held cities and villages in the Earth Kingdom. Our primary objectives are to weaken the Fire Nation a great deal before their bending returns. That includes the destruction of military strong-points, the destruction of vehicles, machinery, and factories, and to lessen their garrison of soldiers by as much as possible. To accomplish this, we must move strong, steady, and swift.

"Once we are inland, away from the shores, we will push towards several cities for many days, drawing reinforcements away from our true goal, the Fire Nation capital of Huo Cheng. There me and my friends, along with a small, elite group of soldiers will force our way into the Fire Lord's palace, and bring Ozai to his knees."

Thunderous applause rang out through the large crowd. Aang smiled and looked to his friends. Katara was smiling widely and mouthed a 'good job.' Sokka also had a smile and he nodded slightly in silent approval of his speech. Toph was applauding with the rest of the crowd.

Aang motioned for the crowd to settle down.

"Before you go into the fighting, there is one thing you must all be aware of." Aang straightened up slightly, causing several others in the area to shift uncomfortably, as he was not sure of what he should say. "If you go into battle ready to return alive, you will not. If you go into battle ready to die for your cause, you will survive. And you will be victorious. You should not go in there and expect to return, that will only cloud your thoughts and distract you from the battle. If you are prepared to die and are prepared to say good-bye to everything; prepared to go in there with nothing to lose and everything to gain, you will be unstoppable.

"As my last statement, I want to share a bit of knowledge I have learned on my travels and fights. Never fight for the safety and security of the world. Do not fight because entire populations are counting on you."

All the soldiers began to talk nervously amongst themselves. Aang smiled and motioned for them to settle down.

"If you do these things, stress, anxiety, and fear will keep you from performing at your optimum ability. It used to happen to me. When you are fighting, do not think of the massive population of the Earth Kingdom, and do not think of the beautiful metropolis that is the Northern Water Tribe. Think about what is closer to you. Think about what is personal. Think of your family, think of your friends. Think of-."

Aang cut himself off. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind. This was the perfect moment to let Katara how he felt. He had the right train of thought, the right mood, the right setting; all he needed to do was discreetly clue her in to his emotions. Before thinking it through further, Aang made direct eye contact with Katara. They looked straight at each other for a moment, while everyone else wondered why Aang had stopped. Without breaking eye contact, Aang continued.

"When I first started traveling and fighting with my friends," He motioned towards the small group in the first row. "I always tried to put the rest of the world before them; I tried to ensure the safety of humankind first. As time went on, I realized that this was impossible. I am the Avatar, yes, but I am also a human being. I had to put the concerns of my friends before those of the rest of the world. But, there was one person in particular that came before all others. Whenever the fighting began, and me and my companions found ourselves surrounded by the ruthless Fire Nation soldiers, fighting for our survival, she helped me pull through. She might not know it, but she is the reason I fought. In the heat of the battle, the only thing I had on my mind was if she was okay, and that I better make it to the end so I could see her at least one more time."

Katara felt her heart go aflutter and her stomach did flip-flops as she heard Aang speak. He could very well have been speaking about Toph… But he was looking directly at her. He wasn't even paying any attention to the rest of the crowd. Katara felt a smile forming on her face.

"Throughout the course of time, she had become my greatest friend, my waterbending teacher, and my secret love. Whenever I fought, I fought for her. She had lost so much to the Fire Nation… Her father left to fight in the war, her village was nearly destroyed, and her mother… She was taken from her. I have never been a rueful or spiteful person, but when I think about the evils that had been committed against her and her people, I do not feel mercy or pity on the Fire Nation. What I feel is disgust. I do not fight this war for the good of humanity, I fight this war to attempt to right the wrongs that had been committed against her. I fight this war because I love her."

There was not a word to describe the look on Katara's face. The only thing Aang could focus on was her beautiful smile and her gorgeous azure blue eyes that seemed to twinkle with an emotion he had never seen before. Katara had been restraining herself from standing up to respond to Aang directly. She would have to wait until the speech was over. Until then, she did her best to show him how she felt through silent signals.

Sokka looked back and forth between the two of them several times, reading expressions and emotions. All he could do was smile as he watched the silent messages being transferred between them and the smiles on their face grew wider. Sokka leaned back into his seat and began to mumble things like 'it's about time' and 'what took so long?'

Toph was smiling almost as much as Aang and Katara. She entertained herself by making sure her feet were firmly planted on the ground, reading pulse rates and the slightest of body signals passing between the two of them.

With a final, long glance at Katara, he guiltily pulled his vision away from her and looked out at the large crowd. Some people looked happy, some looked like they would laugh, and some looked uninterested. Aang hurriedly finished with his speech, eager to speak alone with Katara.

"What I'm trying to say is that it is much easier to fight for a cause more personal. You cannot think about the rest of the world depending on you. Fight for someone you love. I do, and let me assure you that I have yet to lose a single battle. Fight for a cause you can directly associate yourself with, one that makes you angry and willing and determined. If we all focus on the thing that makes us fight the hardest, we will be undefeatable.

"Know why you fight, know who you fight for. Fight for those you care for. Fight determined. Fight strong. Fight for the right reasons, and the Fire Nation will fall by the week's end!"

There was thunderous applause, loud cheers and whistles, but Aang had already left the stage. He was standing before his friends, Katara in particular. Sokka and Toph looked at each other for a moment, then got up and left the couple alone. Neither knew how to start. They stood there, smiling and reading each others expressions.

"I meant everything I said up there. I thought you should know how I felt… you know… before today." Aang smiled hopefully and blushed out of embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck.

Katara still couldn't find any words. That one part of the speech replayed itself over and over in her mind. She couldn't believe what she had heard.

Aang stood there, his smile slowly fading away when she didn't say anything. Was he mistaken? He could have sworn that by the look in her eyes… Maybe he was mistaken… "Oh… Sorry." He said pathetically. He turned to walk away, tears stinging his eyes.

That was enough to knock Katara out of her stupor. "Wait, no! Aang!" She grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him back to her. She hugged him fiercely as Aang's brain tried to compute what the hell just happened.

"Aang, I love you, too. I always have. More than you could possibly know." She said quietly as Aang started understanding what she had just said, and his arms found themselves around Katara's waist. "I'm just sorry that I had to wait until today to find out that you felt the same way."

"Yeah. I am, too." He said quietly. He pulled his head back a little and had a sheepish grin on his face. He slowly moved his head towards hers.

Katara's heart skipped a beat. She was aware of nothing else than the fact that Aang was leaning in to kiss her. She began to lean in as well.

The trip on the way to intercept his lips seemed like it took forever, but compared to the actual kiss it seemed like it was no more than a millisecond. The kiss… It was the longest second of her life, but at the same time all too brief.

They were interrupted be a small chorus of 'Awww's' that emerged from a group of soldiers standing directly behind them. The chorus was led by no others than Sokka and Toph.

After hearing it, they separated with a jolt, their faces burning a bright red. Neither wanted to look at the source of the sound, so they chose to gaze at each other.

"Let's find somewhere more private…" Katara said in a small, sheepish, embarrassed tone.

"Alright…" Aang's voice cracked. _(lol, puberty!)_

They scuttled towards the door leading back into the hall they were walking down earlier, hand in hand. As they made their way to the large door, they could feel several pairs of eyes on them and they could hear several stifled giggles from both Sokka and Toph.

Once on the other side of the door, they looked at each other slowly. Katara had a petrified look on her face and Aang's head was pretty much glowing in a fluorescent red. They saw the way they looked and cracked up. Aang leaned on his back against the door when he began laughing harder and Katara was holding onto Aang's shoulders with both hands to keep from falling to the ground.

When the laughing died down, their heads were bowed downwards as they attempted regain their breath. They slowly looked up at each other and noticed that Katara was still holding onto Aang. They looked deeply into each others eyes for a moment…

The rest was pretty much a blur; their minds weren't really focused on time or their location. All they knew was that some time later, they found themselves in an empty military cafeteria with the lights off, Aang leaning his back against a wall with Katara in-front of him, holding him by the collar, pressing her lips against his.

They heard a door open and some light flooded the room. "Ugh! What the hell are you two doing?!?"

They didn't need to look to know that it was Sokka. And they didn't need to look to know that he must have been furious. They didn't really blame him, though. The sight must have been pretty suggestive, Aang backed up against the wall, Katara holding him there by the collar, her body up against his, and both of Aang's hands on Katara's butt.

"Well, uhh… Can't you figure it out on your own?" Aang asked, feeling the heat rise to his face.

Sokka was about to start yelling again when Toph stepped out from behind him.

"Whatever. Look, we've got to board the Earth Kingdom ships now if we want to be on their shores in time. Let's go."

**I'm considering posting this as a separate story, because it's going to be multi-chapter. I put it as a drabble to get some reviews and know if it's worth making it its own fic. If it is, just say so in a review. If I get, ohh, let's say 5 reviews that say I should, I'll post it as a separate fic.**

**If you couldn't tell from the first paragraph of the speech, the main source of inspiration for this came from the movie "Independence Day," when the president is making the speech about the attack on the alien ships.**

**The next couple of chapters will be very action-y, but worry not fluff-lovers, there will be plenty of fluff, too. Oh, and I know that this wasn't very specific as to when and where they are, but they are in a Earth Kingdom military facility somewhere near the closest shore of the Earth Kingdom to the Fire Nation, and it is the extremely early morning, like 1:00 AM.**

**And a random factoid: The name I used for the Fire Nation capital, _'Huo Cheng,'_ is _'Fire City'_ in traditional Chinese.**

–_voice of Special Ed from 'Crank Yankers'- _**YAY!!!**

**Okay, you can review now.**


	7. Before the Cave

**Holy poop, the site's working…**

**Some more random crap, mostly due to the fact that I had nothing to do while the site was down for uploading. This is another totally random idea, not fluffy; there really isn't any room for it. This idea just came to me as I was browsing through deviant-art.**

**This is the story of what happened just 10 minutes before the episode "The Cave of Two Lovers." Yes, it's humorous. I guess. I'm not too good at judging my own work.**

**Could be considered a strong 'T,' there's narration and certain _thoughts _running through a confused pre-teen's mind **_(I wonder who's… Like you didn't know)_** that definantly make sure that this doesn't belong anywhere near a 'K' rated story.**

**I don't own Avatar.**

**Before the Cave**

"We shouldn't be too far from Omashu now. It looks like the only thing left to cross is this mountain." Sokka pointed to the lone mountain in his map of the region.

"Good, we've been traveling for hours and it's really hot out today." Aang said as he wiped a thin layer of sweat of his forehead with his palm. If he said it was hot, then it was _really _hot. Aang was never someone to complain about the weather, seeing as how he managed to stay at the North Pole with nothing but his traditional light and thin Air Monk robes for quite some time.

Now that he mentioned it, Katara noticed that it was dreadfully hot out, and she had also developed a small amount of perspiration on her brow. Appa, who normally would have been flying them to Omashu, had been feeling the heat as well, and Aang thought it best to give the bison a break. They walked through a dirt path, and lucky for them there was an abundance of trees that provided shade.

But it was still scorching.

Katara looked ahead at their path and tried to refocus on getting to Omashu, hopefully taking away the awareness of the blistering heat. No such luck, the temperature kept harshly reminding her of its presence.

The path began to rise slightly, not enough to be called a hill but enough to obscure their vision of the path ahead. They scaled it, and their moods were instantly brightened when they reached the top. Well, all except Sokka's. But his mood's never any better than 'slightly cranky.'

After the mound returned to flat ground, about 30 feet ahead was a pristine looking river, and both Aang and Katara got the same idea: _It doesn't seem so hot anymore._

"Feel up to some waterbending practice?" Katara asked, her eyes glued to the clear, blue water.

"… Yeah…" Aang pretty much just sounded like he had struck a vein of gold. He was just too happy to speak in full sentences. His mind was only set on how cool and refreshing that water must be…

Sokka, on the other hand, was already preparing for the wasted time that was to come. He knew that fighting it would have been a futile attempt, so he sighed and just continued walking.

Aang and Katara made a mad dash to the river, blowing past Sokka, who was left muttering under his breath as he continued to pay more attention to his map.

Aang arrived first, but not by much, and instantly began to take off his boots. He dunked his feet in the water, content to just let the refreshing current drag along his feet, suddenly not caring about the temperature, and he closed his eyes to just focus on the pleasing sensation.

He heard Katara come up next to him and he heard her boots being kicked off. He opened his eyes to look at her and smiled, letting her know that it was an enjoyable feeling.

Instead of imitating Aang's example and stepping into the nice, cool water, she began to pull on the white sash on her waist keeping her robe closed…

Every single thought process running through Aang's mind had just come to a screeching halt. His brain effectively shut down and restarted, but when his mind was back, there were several dozens of _certain_ thoughts piled up, and he couldn't push his way past any of them. Part of him wouldn't have done it, anyways.

Despite his regained control over himself, he still couldn't bring himself to look away, move, speak, or notice all the death glares Sokka was sending him. A bright blush engulfed his whole head and he could feel that hormonal stirring that Sokka had once been forced into telling him about.

Aang's eyes hadn't peeled away from her once through the whole process. His mouth was suddenly dry and arid, his hands were trembling, and he was still struggling with the vivid, life-like imagery of Katara in… awkward… situations and… positions… running through his mind.

Katara wasn't stupid though, she knew what she was doing to him. Aang had quickly and randomly stripped down to his underwear in-front of her before as he jumped into lakes and streams, leaving her blushing like mad and fending off several unwarranted, but not necessarily unwanted, images and ideas in her mind.

She owed him, and, well, as much as she'd like to deny it, there was something… stimulating… about freely revealing so much to the guy she secretly loved. The action was having its effect on her, too, though. She was blushing almost as much as Aang was.

By this point, Sokka had stopped glaring at Aang and had moved on to just ignoring the two of them. He jumped up and pulled a large leaf off of a nearby tree.

Katara was now standing before Aang in a white 2-piece bathing-suit that could have easily passed as underwear. They were both still blushing insanely, and Aang just couldn't keep his thoughts off of those curves… that dark skin… those legs…

_(A/N, btw the last 9 paragraphs all occurred over a time-span of around 15 seconds.)_

Realizing that she was probably waiting for a verbal reaction, and hoping that she hadn't seen his physical one, he decided to try his hand at coherent speech. His plan was to ask her why she took off her clothes in the most civilized manner possible. Yeah. Like that ever got off the ground.

"Nyaooo…?" Well, he made it to the first stage and said something, but it all fell apart at 'coherent.'

Katara laughed and answered to what she thought was the most likely question. "We can't travel in wet clothes, can we? I asked some seamstresses up in the North Pole if they could throw something together that I could practice waterbending in." Katara now got a brutally evil idea, and put it into effect immediately. "What do you think of it?"

Poor Aang was still straggling along in an attempt to salvage what little of his dignity was left. As much as he knew he shouldn't be thinking of Katara this way, he couldn't help it. He couldn't control it. _…Wait, did she just ask… Ah crap, she did._ Taking another shot at speaking understandably, Aang drew a sharp breath, before realizing that he had no clue what he would say. _I'll wing it; I can't get much more embarrassed than I am now… right?_

"It, uhh, looks great. You look great." _There, that wasn't so hard, was it? _Aang could hear his pulse banging against his temples. _Uhh, maybe it was…_

Katara's blush only brightened and she smiled appreciatively. She waded into the water and sunk down into it, content to let herself cool down from the scorching heat.

Aang, who was still standing at the waters edge, had begun to gain some control over himself after managing to speak. He was slowly becoming able to push his way through his thoughts. Once he calmed his nerves down enough, he took off his tunic, but for a reason he could not understand, strictly decided on keeping his pants on. Taking them off just didn't seem like a good idea.

He rolled up his pant's legs and made his way into the water. He was now satisfied that he could safely approach Katara without making a fool of himself. Or, at least, he did, until Katara emerged from the water, her dark, _(somewhat)_cinnamon hued skin now glistening in the bright sun; and the water having helped define her body through her swimsuit even more, causing Aang to once again lose control of his thoughts. All processes were similar to what happened the first time, but now all his _thoughts _had themes relating to the word 'wet.' Not until some years later did he fully understand why.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sokka climb into the large leaf he had picked and was now using it as a sort of boat to float around in the river. He was glaring at Aang once more.

Katara laughed under her breath. _I guess I overdid it… _Her blush returned slightly and she splashed some water in Aang's direction. That was enough to knock him back to reality.

"C'mon, you haven't practiced in a couple of days. I've got some stuff to teach you."

Much to Aang's relief, she didn't sound disgusted or appalled or dismayed or anything. Maybe she didn't notice…

"Uh, yeah. Ahem… Let's go." He said quickly, working the blush of his face, and trying to commit to memory that cold water apparently helps in these situations.

"Alright." Katara dropped into a stance he hadn't learned yet. "This technique is called the Octopus Form…"

**Okay, when I saw the opening scene for 'The Cave of Two Lovers' the first time, I only had 3 things on my mind:**

**-Katara's being such a tease.**

**-How is Aang able to stand there?**

**-Wow. (Compatible with: every guy who's watching Avatar must be thinking 'wow.')**

**That pretty much sums up this whole story. And the writing in this drabble is close enough to what any guy would begin to think if the girl he liked just randomly took her clothes off in-front of him.**

**Either way, randomly or not, Aang must have been one happy Avatar when Katara revealed her 'surprise' for Aang. Lol.**

**About the thing about it being hot, I know that wasn't in the show, but I needed an excuse for them to go to a river that wasn't just for waterbending practice.**

**Okay, review time.**


	8. The Color Blue

**If you follow my main story, _'Aang, Katara and a Plan,'_ you'd know that I have recently been grounded from the computer. So why have I been reviewing and now I'm posting this drabble? Well, a few circumstances that led to me being un-grounded. I'll go a little deeper into that when I post the next update for _'Aang, Katara and a Plan.'_**

**Here's a really short one, the shortest I've ever written. I just thought about it in 3 seconds as I was walking to the kitchen to get some water. How did that spark this story? I have no freakin' clue but I'm satisfied enough with the end result.**

**Story takes place during those few moments when Katara and Sokka find Aang in the iceberg. Written from Aang's P.O.V.**

**I don't own Avatar.**

**The Color Blue**

It was something I've never felt before. It felt like all my energy was being drained out of me. My eyes cracked open slightly, only to shut again at seeing the bright light surrounding me. I heard some other people standing outside… Or was I outside? Where was I, anyways? It was freezing in there…

I heard what sounded like air escaping from some cracks. Next thing I know, the walls collapsed with a deafening reverberation. I tried to open my eyes again and found that the light was gone. I took a second to look around. There was ice everywhere. I slowly got up and my eyes passed over my hand as I moved. My tattoos were glowing. Had I been less tired, I actually might have been concerned.

I walked over to the edge of this… thing. I guess it was some king of iceberg. I don't know how I was able to do it, though. I felt on the edge of consciousness. I looked down to find the people who were outside. Two kids, the girl just a little older than me. The boy looked a lot older than me. There was a bit of a resemblance between them, I guess they're brother and sister.

The boy was pointing some kind of spear weapon at me. I tried to tell them that I meant no harm, but fatigue took over my body. My eyes closed and I released a heavy breath, my legs collapsing beneath me. I fell off the ledge and I knew the impact against the icy floor would hurt. I honestly didn't care at this point; my brain was too tired to process any of this acquired information. But, oddly, the one thing that wouldn't leave my mind was the image of that girl…

I waited to hit the floor, but I didn't feel anything. I slowly opened my eyes to realize that this girl had caught me and had rested me on the ground. Her face was hovering above mine, not too far away. She looked… there was no way to describe it. I saw her and I felt- something. She was… absolutely beautiful. A breeze carried by and her hair blew a little across her face, only highlighting her gorgeousness.

I noticed her eyes, pools of a crystal cerulean blue in the midst of a dark, tanned face. A very pretty and attractive dark, tanned face. Those eyes… In them I could see concern and compassion. I was amazed that she was so worried over someone she had never even met before. Right then and there, in a short fraction of a second, I learned her character. She was caring and gentle, putting someone else's safety before her own, to the point where she was helping someone who could have very well been dangerous to her and her brother. While I looked into those lakes of azure, I knew something was happening to me.

Warmth flooded into my chest as I gazed upon her with half-open eyes. She was so very beautiful… So caring… I knew what I was feeling. Had I felt this what seemed like a few hours ago (because I was not yet aware that 100 years had passed), I would have been ashamed of my lack of control of emotions. But that didn't matter anymore. I left by my own free will, and as long as I left, I might as well start fresh. Besides, I don't think I could have given this feeling up. It was incredible, and I don't think I could get this feeling by looking at anyone else except her.

I was in love with her and I didn't even know her name. The other monks would probably be discontented with this, but I didn't care. I was in love. Me. A monk. And the Avatar, nonetheless. I was sure she was the most amazing girl in the world, and she hadn't even said a single word to me yet.

Despite all these thoughts that were rushing through my head, one stood out the most. There was one that stood tall above all others, above my feeling of love, above my confusion about where I was, about what the other monks would think, even above my awareness of this girl standing less than two feet away from me. There was one thought that was screaming in my mind over all the others:

_I think Blue is my new favorite color._

**This is my first under-one-thousand-words story. I think it came out well enough, for being written within less than half an hour.**

**Reviews! Please and Thank You.**


	9. All Over Again

**Here's another short one, because I've been having trouble working up the creativity needed to make a long one.**

**Basically, my take on the whole 'let go of the ones you love' thing. Written from Aang's POV.**

**All Over Again**

It was the stupidest, most pointless thing I've ever done in my life.

I should have known. Guru Pathik should have known. Just 'letting go of my love' for Katara wasn't going to solve anything. We probably would have been better off if I hadn't tried.

When we were down there, in the Crystal Catacombs of Old Ba-Sing-Se, about to be either captured or killed (I would laugh about that later, I died anyways), I did the last possible thing I could have done to protect her, I let her go (How ironic, huh?).

I don't know how I didn't see it; I must be dumber than I thought. Letting go of my love for Katara is a futile attempt to master the Avatar State. I didn't fully realize until later why.

After I took the lightning strike to the back, I blacked out. They tell me I died for a small period of time, but to me, it just felt like I was asleep. When I 'awoke,' Katara looked at me with these joyous, thankful, and somewhat sorrowful eyes, as if she didn't expect to ever see me again. I felt too weak to say anything comforting, so I smiled instead.

Katara pulled me into a hug, and I could feel the warm trails of fresh tears on her face. I was too caught up in the moment to even be aware of the sharp pain in my upper back. I took this opportunity to inhale her scent, relishing in the feeling of euphoria that being in love brought.

I was interrupted by an annoyance, a question of my mind that would have been better unasked.

_Didn't you let go of your love?_

I thought on the question for a split second, and smiled internally when I found the answer.

_Yes, I did._

I could feel myself being dragged into unconsciousness again as Katara rested me against Appa's back.

_But I guess I fell in love all over again._

**So yeah. That's what I think of when the subject of 'Aang letting Katara go' pops up. Even if he could get rid his love for her, he'd only fall in love again the next time he sees her. A love like that won't die easily, if it will die at all (and I strongly suspect that it won't).**

**Quite honestly, I think this piece is crap, but I haven't posted anything in a while so I felt overdue for an update.**


	10. Captive I: The Messenger

**Okay, this one's gonna be multi-chaptered, I'm telling you now. Rated a strong 'T' because there will be a great deal of descriptive violence later. About that other multi-chapter fic, "The Invasion of Black Sun," yeah, I kinda abandoned that one. Sorry, people.**

**As with most of my stories, all characters sound a little older.**

**Captive**

It was all happening so fast that Sokka didn't know what to make of it. About a couple of days ago, during a run-in with Azula and the other dangerous ladies, Katara had been taken. Aang lost it. Sokka and Toph had never seen Aang so angry before. About an hour ago, a messenger was sent by Azula to deliver instruction on how to get Katara back. He said that there would be a trade, the Avatar for girl. Currently, the messengers' unconscious body was lying no more than 10 feet away. By reading his heart rate and other vital signs, Toph estimated that he would come to in a few hours.

_-(Flashback)-_

"…_the Princess will meet you on the northern shore of Lake Nuo. There you are to exchange the Avatar for the peasant." The messenger spoke far too casually, considering he was faced with a very angry older brother, a sightless earthbending prodigy, and an Avatar with nothing on his mind but vengeance. Aang took it upon himself to fix the messengers unfazed tone._

"_No!" His voice boomed. It was deeper and harsher than it normally was, earning its share of attention from the messenger, Sokka; even Toph turned her head towards him. Ever since he lost the use of the Avatar State, Aang found his anger easier to express. "You'll tell us where she is now!"_

_The messenger scoffed. "Or what? Princess Azula has informed me of your peaceful tendencies. What exactly will you do to me?"_

_Aang's storm grey eyes flickered with anger before he extended his arm, airbending his staff into his hand, and then pointed it threateningly at Azula's minion. "Well, did Azula _inform _you how much this girl means to me?" Aang raised his staff until it was just inches away from the man's throat. "Believe me when I say I'm losing nothing by doing this."_

_Sokka and Toph shared a significant glance (though Toph couldn't exactly 'see' it,) and slowly approached Aang. Holding his hands up, Sokka addressed the young Avatar first._

"_Aang," He said warningly. "Think about what you're doing."_

"_They have your sister, Sokka," Aang sounded a little more patient than before, but the anger in his eyes remained the same. "They have her, and I lo-" Aang choked on his words, unwilling to reveal his true feelings for the waterbender, even though he was aware that everyone in the area must know of his infatuation by now. "I can't just let that go."_

_Sokka proceeded cautiously. "Of course not. I want to hurt this guy just as bad as you do. Maybe more," Aang doubted that. "But taking your anger out on this guy won't solve anything."_

"_He's right, Twinkle Toes." Toph now interjected and stepped closer to him than Sokka had. "We all miss her and we all want her back, but if you take it out on this guy you're no better than Azula and her flunkies."_

_Aang stood there, staff still pointed at Azula's messenger, at war with himself. He could take vengeance right here, right now… But what would that solve? That wouldn't bring Katara back. However, his instincts felt the need to attack; to savagely destroy the man standing mere feet away out of pure retribution._

"_Give me the staff." Toph commanded from behind him, taking a few steps closer. Aang quickly glanced back at her and then eyed the messenger. Toph was right. Sokka was right. He knew it all to well. But still…_

"_C'mon. Hand it over." She ordered once more. He took one more glance back and eyed the messenger again._

You have no idea how lucky you are.

_He lowered the staff from its position near the man's throat. Turning around, he shoved the staff into Toph's hands and walked off, trying to work away the anger._

_The messenger sneered. "I guess you don't care about her nearly as much as you think."_

_Rage flickered in Aang's eyes once more. Before he could stop himself, he whirled around, raising his right arm and swiftly bringing it down in a diagonal path, sending a powerful gust towards the messenger, knocking him back a few feet and landing painfully against a tree. His head hit a root sticking out of the ground bringing him to unconsciousness._

_Toph and Sokka turned towards Aang, who was staring at the crumpled mass that lied at the base of the tree. Instantly, Aang knew something was wrong. Closing his eyes and taking a shaky breath, he turned towards Appa and walked away, realizing a horrible truth._

I feel no remorse. I feel no shame…

_-(End Flashback)-_

Toph removed her hand from the ground when she informed Sokka of the messenger's condition. Standing up, she walked over and stood next to him.

"I can't believe he's going through this." She spoke of Aang, who was gathering up items and packing up camp, loading their things onto Appa. From the looks of it, he was getting ready to go to Lake Nuo and simply hand himself over to the Fire Nation.

"I can't believe what he did to that guy." Sokka responded.

"Would you have done it any differently?" She questioned.

Sokka sighed and hung his head. "No, I wouldn't have," He looked up to face her. "But that was Aang, not me. I mean, when did he get like that? Isn't he the one that's supposed to be making _peace_?"

"He loves Katara," Toph supplied. "And as long as he does, he'll never act the way you're expecting. Remember what he told us about the Avatar State and that Guru guy?"

"Yeah," Sokka's reply was short. "He never told Katara, did he?"

Toph shook her head. "He was afraid that she would think that it's her fault that this kind of thing would happen." She said, motioning over to the unmoving body near the tree.

They remained quiet for some time. Eventually, Sokka found something to say. "Do you think it's her fault?"

Toph nodded. "Some of it."

"Why's that?"

Toph gave kind of a sad smile. "Because she loves him, too."

----------

Azula watched, amused, as one of her soldiers came into the room, looking anxious, obviously with some kind of news to relay to her. Most of her soldiers acted nervous around her when they were alone, and with good reason. She was always sure to let her men know that she was in charge, and she had absolutely no problem losing a soldier.

The man quickly bowed and told her of the news, keeping his head down. "Milady, the messenger we sent to the Avatar and his companions hasn't returned. We fear the worst."

Azula smirked.

_The plan is working…_

**Now you see why it's multi chapter? I could have made this a lot longer, but I just had too many ideas to put down at once. Like I said, future chapters will contain some descriptive violence, so if you do not enjoy such scenes, please pat your head and rub your tummy. I don't know what that has to do with anything, but it would make me laugh.**

**Reviews are appreciated.**


	11. Captive II: The Trade Off

**Since I abandoned "The Invasion of Black Sun," I'm considering turning this into its own fic. I've already got some good reviews (although a few more reviews would be nice) so it just might be possible.**

**Don't worry, frozenheat, I wouldn't abandon "The Life of a Monk." I like that one. I'm just waiting until I finish "Aang, Katara, and a Plan" to continue it.**

**I don't own Avatar.**

**The Trade-Off**

The flight to Lake Nuo went by quickly. Aang sat on Appa's head in silence, straining to get there as fast as possible without exhausting the bison. Sokka and Toph (who was terrified of these high speeds because they didn't have enough money to buy a new saddle yet) sat on Appa's back, arguing no less.

"I can't believe you're supporting his decision!" Toph shrieked at the Water Tribe warrior.

"It's not like we could stop him anyways. I mean, look at him, he's determined to do this."

"Even if I _could_ look at him I'd think this is stupid. Aang's the Avatar. I know they have Katara but we can't just let the world's last hope for peace rot in some cell!" Toph continued to yell. Aang was doing his best to ignore the two of them.

"Yes, we can. Look, I'm all for saving the world, but my dad told me to protect my sister, and right now, _she's_ the one rotting in some cell. So yes, I can let him go through with this."

"Ughhh!" She groaned. She would have punched him if she could see him. "You're not getting it Snoozles! If we give them Aang to get Katara back, then we just lost the war! Everything that we've been working towards for the past few months means nothing. And with him out of the way, we're easy targets. We're enemies of the Fire Nation; they won't hesitate to track us down and kill us. It doesn't matter if we get Katara back 'cause she'll just end up dead like the rest of us."

"Well then what do you suggest?!" Sokka yelled.

"Ambush them! Find where they're keeping her, start a fight in the middle of the trade or something but we just can't let them have Aang!"

"Azula's smarter than that," Toph and Sokka both turned their attention to Aang, who had decided to keep quiet until this point. "She'll outnumber us. By a lot. If we fight, we'll have no chance. The trade is the only way."

"We don't even know if Katara's still alive!" Toph argued. Sokka's face became horror-stricken. He hadn't even considered that yet.

"She's alive," Aang assured. "They want me, not her, and they'll want me to be cooperative. They know that I won't be if they kill her."

Toph realized that, for the first time, she had lost an argument. With a groan of resignation, she lied down onto her back. "You know that you're practically committing suicide, right?"

Aang's features hardened and he refocused his attention ahead of him. He could see the shore of the Lake. There were many people dotting the ground to the far north. "Yes."

----------

Katara gazed up at the sky; warm, sticky trails of tears on her face. She saw Appa in the distance, approaching rapidly. Her only thoughts were focused on the boy coming to rescue her by giving himself up to his enemies. A few more tears rolled down her face.

"Aang…" She whispered.

"The Avatar cares for you," The Fire Nation princess approached the waterbender. "Enough to make the ultimate sacrifice to save your life," She glanced at Katara. "It's a shame you'll never see him again."

Katara bit her lip to try and keep from crying any harder. The entire time she spent in the Prison Hold, she kept her silence and refrained from showing any extreme emotion. It was easy enough; they didn't do anything to her, although they really could have spared a little more food, but now as she watched the boy she loved flying towards her to throw away his life only for her to keep living on, it was too much for her to handle.

Azula's mouth curved into an amused smile when she heard Katara's crying intensify. "Don't worry; your friend's death will be quick; virtually painless." _Lying is so much fun…_

Katara sniffled. "Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"No," The Princess easily replied; the same amused smile on her face. "Actually, death would be a luxury compared to what we have in store for him."

The Princess watched as Katara's eyes grew wide open, only to be filled with more tears. Azula's amused smile became replaced with one of pride. She had obviously become a master of evoking emotion, something that would be necessary to put her plan in full effect.

A bit of a whimper from Katara told the Princess that the Avatar had landed.

"You know, it really is a shame," Azula's smile became amused once more. "You two would have made a cute couple."

----------

Aang effortlessly airbended himself off of Appa's head and turned around to face the bison.

"Goodbye, buddy." He said with a sad smile as he gave his pet a last hug.

Toph and Sokka, who had climbed off of the bison, walked up next to him. Momo was perched on Toph's shoulder.

"Stay with Toph, alright Momo?" Aang asked as he scratched the lemur behind its oversized ears.

With what sounded like a sad squeak and chirp, the lemur's ears drooped and he obliged to the command.

"I guess this is it." Sokka finally said. Aang could have sworn he saw a tear in his eye.

"Yeah," Toph added. "Hey, hold out in there. We'll find a way to get you out."

Aang smiled, but he doubted that.

"Do you want us to tell her… how you feel about her?" Sokka asked.

Aang's smile faded away. "No."

Sokka nodded. "We'll see you around." Sokka said in a friendly tone.

"No," Aang handed his staff to Sokka and turned to face the Fire Nation soldiers standing less than one hundred yards away. "You won't."

Aang began walking.

----------

Katara forced her tears to stop spilling out; she would have to face Aang soon.

"You're lucky to have someone who cares for you so much," The Princess told her. "I'd dare to say he loves you."

"What would _you _know about love?"

"Only that it's a weakness; that it clouds your judgment, like what is happening to the Avatar right now. Thousands more will die in the Fire Nation conquest because he values your life more than anyone else's," Azula looked at Katara. "That is either love or determination. And I highly doubt the latter."

_She's lying. _Katara thought bitterly. _All she does is lie…_

Azula saw the Avatar begin to walk in their direction. Another proud smile came to her face.

"Walk towards your friends," The Princess commanded. "If you stop to talk to the Avatar, we'll kill them all."

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Katara nodded and slowly began to move towards the others. Her eyes came to rest on the boy approaching her on her left side. He was looking directly at her, his eyes hard and focused. It was obvious that he knew what would happen to him.

Aang released a sigh of relief when he noticed that Katara wasn't limping or cut up or bruised. She seemed fine; her clothes were a little dirty, but that was it.

They were finally reaching a talking distance from each other, and Katara couldn't find any words. Every time she opened her mouth to say something she would choke and have to fight back more tears.

"Are you alright?" Aang asked; desperation in his voice.

Katara found her voice. "Yeah, I'm fine. I-"

"You sure?" They kept walking at a steady pace, overlapping each other's paths, forcing them to look behind themselves to face the other.

"Yes, I'm sure. Aang-" She cut herself off when she saw that there was already some distance between them. "Don't go…" She whispered, her tears now freely falling at a rapid pace.

The rest of the walk went by rather quickly. The tears kept coming, even as she reached Sokka and Toph.

"Are you okay?" Sokka asked as soon as she reached them.

Katara nodded and wiped away her tears, but found than new tears had already taken their places.

"How could you let him go?" Katara didn't direct the question at anyone in specific, just anyone who could have kept him from leaving; Sokka, Toph, the Spirits… anyone.

"Aang wanted to go," Toph clarified. "He wanted to get you back. He wouldn't stop for anything."

Sokka looked at the beautifully carved antique staff in his hands. It was Aang's lone possession, and one of the last things tying him to his past. _It would mean more to her than to anyone else…_

He gently placed the staff in Katara's hands. She looked it over, and the only thought that would come to mind was Aang's smiling face and energetic attitude. A fresh wave of tears emerged as she clutched onto the staff harder, as if it were the last of Aang she had to hold on to.

----------

Azula smiled again, except now it was a smile of pure satisfaction. The Avatar walked up to her, closing his eyes, and patiently holding his hands out to her. A soldier placed iron cuffs on his wrist.

Now wearing a smile of complete psychotic joy, she held his cuffs up by the chain, and pulled the Avatar closer.

Placing her mouth next to his ear, she whispered, "Whatever you were expecting to happen to you, I promise it will be at least ten times worse."

**Yeah, all that violence will start next chapter, so please continue patting your heads and rubbing your stomachs. **

**I'm afraid that I didn't get Azula's personality down right. It's the first time I've really ever included her in a story. If you couldn't tell by now, she's going to be a very important character, so I want her to be as IC as possible.**

**Reviews are still appreciated.**


	12. Captive III: Your New Home

**Just a quick note; there will be some swearing later on in this story. One of the key elements in torture is to break down the victim's character until a new attitude has taken its place. This new attitude is usually very angry and violent, holding a great deal of hatred towards those who torture said victim. So, logically, Aang will become less and less of the mild-mannered, peaceful monk that he is on the series. Just wanted to let you all know.**

**Also, I'm going to assume that Aang's birthday occurred sometime between "The Crossroads of Destiny" and where I am now. I don't know why. I just like having Aang at 13.**

**I don't own Avatar.**

**Your New Home**

Aang was roughly shoved down the scarcely lit corridor of the Royal Fire Navy ship. Two guards walked in-front of him, two behind him, with Azula trailing all the way in the back, staring at the young Avatar.

There was no doubt in the Princess' mind that her plan would be effective. The only issue she faced was how long it would take to get there. She was well aware that each mind was different, and the time it takes to break one can vary greatly, depending on what mindset and beliefs that mind holds. She needed her plan in effect by the end of the month, exactly three weeks away, and she couldn't risk rushing the process and accidentally killing the Avatar.

They came to the end of the corridor at the ship's stern; a lone room on the right side of the hallway. One of the guards in front opened the iron door and another guard shoved the Avatar into the room. It was dark and damp; a chair in the center of the room with just enough space for two other people.

Aang was forced into the seat as one of the guards lit four torches mounted on the cell's walls. The other guard locked his shackles onto the chair. The Princess walked into the room, her amber eyes almost glowing in the light of the fire. Aang's own stormy gray eyes glared at her as she walked to the rear wall.

"What is your name?" She questioned, still facing the wall.

Aang said nothing.

The Princess turned around and nodded at one of the guards. He decked Aang right on the side of his head, making a very painful contact with his temple.

"That was a warning," The Princess informed him acidly as she approached the chair. "Every time you don't cooperate, it will only get worse. Now, what is your name?!"

Aang groaned in pain from the punch. "It's Aang."

Azula smirked. "And your age?"

"Thirteen," Aang shot her another glare. "What's it to you?"

The guard punched again, this time harder and making contact with his jaw. Aang could taste the metallic flavor of blood in his mouth.

The Princess came around the chair to face the young Avatar. "This is a pin-prick compared to what we can do. Now will you cooperate or not?"

Aang raised his head to look the Princess in the eyes. With a hardened face, he spat the blood out of his mouth at the Princess' feet.

Azula's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Leave us." She instructed the guards.

All taking a quick glance at the Avatar, they retreated from the room and closed the door behind them.

She returned to her position behind Aang. Reaching into her sleeve, she pulled out one of Mai's knives. Slowly, the Princess began to circle around the Avatar; the knife gleaming in the light of the four torches.

"Apparently you are unresponsive to reasoning," She stopped circling and came to stand in from of him. She bent down to be at eye level with him. Bringing the small knife up, she twirled it around in her hand. "I promised you this wouldn't be pleasant…"

With Azula raising the knife up to his throat, Aang closed his eyes and swallowed hard. Suddenly, he felt a cold draft and opened his eyes. The Princess had used the knife to tear through his shirt. Removing the garment from his body, she tossed it to a corner of the room.

She looked down at Aang's hand. "Those really are some interesting tattoos," She said, raising his hand and following the blue trail up his arm. She placed the point of the knife on the tattoo on his upper arm, applying a slight amount of pressure. A drop of red liquid came out of his arm. "Getting them must have been quite painful…"

Applying far more pressure, Azula slowly ran the blade's edge down the blue path. Aang gritted his teeth and his eyes watered, growling in pain the whole time. Azula slowed down further more and cut deeper, a manic smile on her face as she watched the red substance rise out of his arm and run over the blue tattoo. She got to his hand, and with a final smirk, she quickly closed the distance, slicing all the way to his middle knuckle. His whole arm stung like hell.

Aang's breathing was heavy and labored as he fought to restrain his tears. With another smirk, she dragged the knife's edge back up his arm, not making an incision this time.

"You'd be amazed at what you could learn traveling with an acrobat and a knife thrower," She told him, running the knife softly up his shoulder. "For example, many nerves in the body are bundled right here," Her knife came to rest just above his collarbone. "In that hollow between the shoulder and collarbone. Needless to say, that area is quite sensitive."

And with no further warning, she plunged the knife deep into the hollow; Aang yelling out in complete searing pain. And with that same manic smile, she twisted the knife. Aang's whole body convulsed violently before the pain brought him to unconsciousness.

Azula pulled the knife out with a bit of a frown; she had hoped to do more. Walking to the corner of the room and retrieving Aang's shirt, she used it to wipe the blood off of the knife.

Just before exiting the room, she turned her head to face his motionless body. "Welcome to your new home, Avatar."

She opened the door and stepped out, leaving the door open behind her.

"Treat his wounds and stop the bleeding," She ordered her guards. "I'll be back to continue this later."

She walked down the corridor and disappeared around a corner.

----------

Katara sat near the campfire, hugging her knees to her chest. There was an uncomfortable silence, as everyone was too afraid to speak.

Katara stared into the fire and could only imagine the horrors that Aang was facing. Well, really, it didn't do too well to dwell on that, but she found it impossible to think of anything else.

"Hey," Toph's voice shook Katara out of her thoughts. "What do we do now?"

Everyone else kept quiet. No one dared to say 'go home.'

"I told Twinkle-Toes that we'd get him out." She continued.

"Toph," Sokka's voice was surprisingly sad. "Aang- he's as good as dead by now."

"No," Katara's voice seemed distant. "Azula said that they weren't going to kill him. She said they were going to do worse."

Both Sokka's and Toph's heads dropped when they heard this. That meant that right now, their friend was somewhere screaming his lungs out in pain and agony and they couldn't do anything about it.

Suddenly, Katara's eyes widened and her head shot up. "That's it!" She exclaimed, gaining attention from Sokka and Toph. "He's _not_ dead! We can get him back!"

"Katara," Sokka's voice seemed even sadder. "We don't even know where they took him. They can be anywhere by now."

"Get the map." Katara's voice had a newfound strength and determination in it.

Sokka dug through their assorted items, although he didn't see the point in trying, and pulled out the old cartograph.

Katara unrolled it and pointed at the Lake. "Look, here's the northern shore of Lake Nuo, and here's the shore of the ocean. They brought me to the Lake in one of their tanks; the ride was about a couple hours long. They were keeping me on a ship docked on the ocean. When they left with Aang, they were heading west. That means that the dock is somewhere around here," She pointed at the shore of the ocean, just north of Lake Nuo.

Sokka's eyes widened as he leaned closer to the map. "And there would be two most likely places for them to go, the nearest Fire Nation docks or the Fire Nation Capital. And since this is Azula, chances are it's the Capital."

Even Toph, who couldn't see the map, began to understand where this was heading. "So if we fly towards these docks you were at and then head in the direction of the Capital, we should come across the ship."

It seemed like now they had a plan of action. A plausible plan of action. Katara smiled; the first time since the trade took place. _We're getting you back, Aang. Just hold on…_

----------

The Princess' shoes clanged on the iron floor of her ship. Walking down that same corridor, she came up on the Avatar's cell. The guard at the entrance opened the door. Azula smiled at her work. He had a large bandage that wrapped under his arm and over his shoulder. There was a dark red blotch just under his shoulder.

The long cut from his upper arm all the way down to his hand, tracing the arrow, was stitched up. _He'll never lose that scar… _the Princess though with a mental laugh. The idea of the Avatar's race's last surviving traditions being defaced just seemed like perfection.

His shirt still lay useless on the cold floor, the blood stains clearly visible in the bright yellow fabric. And finally, she bore a genuine smile, one of joy as she thought how proud of her her father would be.

Her focus returned to the boy sitting in the chair, his head hanging to the side in his unconsciousness. Slowly striding over to him, she gave him a forceful push to wake him up.

Aang's eyes flew open and he sucked in a breath, suddenly wincing at the sharp pain coursing through his left shoulder where Azula had plunged her knife into his nerves.

"Have a nice nap?" She asked him, tauntingly.

"Could've been better," He replied with the same tone.

Azula actually laughed, although it seemed more like a snicker of mockery. Reaching into the same sleeve she pulled out another knife. Aang's eyes widened.

"What, again?"

For seemingly no reason, Azula's eyes narrowed. "Yes, again. And again later today, and again tomorrow and everyday after that until I have what I want."

"And what do you want?"

"All things in time," She responded quickly. "But until then," She began lightly dragging the blade along his bare skin again, searching for a place to damage. "Did you know that one of the most sensitive places on the body is behind the knee?" Azula slowly began raking the knife's tip down his leg. Aang's heart rate sped up rapidly. "That's because all the nerves are very near the surface of the skin," As the Princess got closer and closer to that area, Aang continuously began thrashing his leg around, cursing his shackles for taking away his mobility.

Azula found his fear amusing and simply continued to move towards that spot. "So to incite the greatest amount of pain," Aang's shackles wouldn't even let him draw his leg back to cover the area. He knew that shouting and screaming would be useless. "You don't even have to make a deep cut," The Princess angled the knife and pressed it up against that spot, as one would fillet a piece of meat. Aang started breathing heavily and kept thrashing his leg in a last-ditch effort.

"All you have to do," Suddenly the thrashing stopped. The Princess looked up at the Avatar; his steely gray eyes hard and focused, his face stone-like and devoid of emotion.

"I promise that when I get out of here, I'm going to kill _you_ first. Then your father."

Azula dawned a proud smirk. _The plan _is _working…_

"All you have to do," She repeated. "Is make a larger cut." The knife's edge dug into his skin and slowly began slicing just under the surface.

The Avatar's screams were heard all the way down the long, metal corridor.

**This isn't even close to the violence I had in mind. The next chapters will be far more gruesome. But, you read up to here, so you can stop patting your heads and rubbing your tummies if you feel like it.**

**I don't like this chapter as much as the last one. I really don't know why. I just think the last one came out better.**

**I want to make this its own fic, but I want to see some more feedback first. I only had 4 reviews on the first chapter and 7 on the second; I'd like some more opinions.**


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